He Said, She Said
by quiet-raindrop
Summary: Love at first sight—easy right? Think again. A few careless words and everything is shaken up. Getting back to square one is not going to be easy. Especially with everything else that is going on. . .
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **I have been working on this story for literally months and am actually nervous about letting other people read it. Probably because I am playing

around with a lot of different things and I fear confusion. However, I have great confidence that you will try your best. (Please ?)

Stuff That You Should Know:  Some stuff to help you understand some of the plot.

1). Proper characterization? Probably not.

2) Plot holes the size of Mount Vesuvius—most likely

3) I intentionally have Dick still being Robin despite being older—because I wanted to.

4). Batman and Robin have been doing the super hero thing well before the Gordons have arrived—which means yes . . .

5). Understand that the Gordons are new to Gotham.

6) I do not claim to have any real knowledge to the internal workings of a police station.

7). I will let you pick up on the rest. I can't explain everything.

-Assuming that you are still reading this and have not just barged on ahead and/or have fallen asleep, I hope you enjoy this story.

**Explanation: **Holy cow, I will just not shut up will I? The idea behind this story comes from reading _Pride and Prejudice _and enjoying the idea that sometimes love

doesn't always start smoothly.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the names, places, etc. used in this story. (Obviously)

* * *

Chapter 1: Welcome to Gotham, This Could Get Interesting

"So is this the exit Barb?"

Her father's voice broke Barbara Gordon out of her book reading trance. She looked up quickly and sucked some of the remaining cheese dust leftover from her

snacking off her fingers. Reaching down, she grabbed the badly folded map off of the car's floor.

"Uh, what number is it?" She asked him while pushing some of her long red hair out of her eyes.

"Forty two." He recited. "It's coming up on the left in less than a mile." Jim Gordon kept his eyes on the rode as he talked.

"Uh, maybe?" She said frantically scanning up and down the map.

"I'm going to need more than a 'maybe' Barb. Half a mile now." He told her.

"Okay, ah, exit for Gotham . . . ah . . . yes . . . wait no NO! It's the next one we need!" She decided just in time for her father to keep on driving down the road.

Looking into the review mirror, Gordon started to chuckle.

"What are the odds," He asked his daughter. "That our moving truck driver thinks we are nuts?"

Barbara grinned at her father's joke.

"Well, he at least knows that we have no idea where we are going." She replied.

"Well, that might be true." He conceded while watching more road signs fly passed. "I guess it's mostly my fault. I wasn't paying very good attention to the roads

when I was here a month ago."

Barbara gave her father a smile.

"It's not your fault. You flew into town remember? Plus, you weren't there to sight see." She reminded him. "Besides, directions never had to be my job before." She

added quietly.

Her father gave a shrug and carefully guided the car into the proper lane so as to exit the interstate. Barbara leaned forward as far as her seat belt would allow

taking in the view of the city.

"It really _is _big isn't it?" She asked in wonder.

"As I told you." Gordon said glancing over at her. "That is downtown right there." He pointed.

She watched as street by street huge skyscrapers came and went. It was a mix of urban glitz and glitter, but had an undercurrent of dark . . . something. She

couldn't quite name it. She leaned back into her seat.

"You sure about this?"

She looked over at her father with a smile.

"Dad, you've been asking me that every time for weeks now and the answer is still the same—yes I am."

"But, I don't want to think that you have to do this for me, I mean, you'll have to go to a different school . . ."

"I don't mind; it still offers the major I wanted. . ." Barbara broke in.

" . . . and you had to leave your friends . . ." Her father continued.

"What friends? I really haven't had any real friends since . . ."

". . . I just don't want you to give everything up for me." Her father concluded.

"I'm not." She argued. "It will be what we both need, a fresh start on life."

"I'm a little old for a fresh start." Gordon mentioned as he took a left around a corner. Barbara rolled her eyes grinning.

"You're not that old." She chastised him.

"I don't know about that Barb. I just have to look at you, and I know I must be." He pointed out.

Wordlessly, Barbara sat back in her seat to once again stare out the window.

"Our brand new little home should be right up the street here." Gordon spoke up using a more cheerful tone of voice. "It's not very much." He warned her.

"Oh, Dad, it will be fine. We will make it home." She assured him.

He returned her smile as he pulled down a little well-worn stretch of road that led down what seemed to be a quiet street.

Barbara glanced back at the heart of the city towers. Living in a town this big was going to take some getting used to.

"Well, there she is." Her father called out as they turned into the driveway of a one story brick house. Across the street sat a few houses and down a bit further an

apartment complex. A few cars whizzed past as their car came to a stop and Barbara got out. Behind them, their moving truck pulled in behind them.

"What do you think?" Her father asked her somewhat nervously.

The outside was solid red brick, cracked in places, but it appeared to be sturdy. Ivy was growing on one side of the house giving it the feel that it belonged sitting on

the edge of a forest and not a major city. It had a nice bay window in the front facing the street and a plain white front door with a screen.

"It's perfect." Barbara declared.

Gordon looked relieved at his daughter's announcement.

"Want to go in?" He offered temptingly as he held out the keys. She ran over to him and gave him a hug before taking the keys out of his hand. She rushed over to

the front door, but paused before putting the key into the lock.

She took a deep breath and reverently inserted the key. The bolt unlocked with a click and she slowly opened the door.

She slowly entered, and quickly went from room to room. She soon reappeared on the small porch.

"It's perfect!" She called to her father who was watching the truck driver starting to open the back of the moving truck. He turned to face her grinning.

Gordon slowly made his way towards his daughter.

"I'm thinking that we should paint the front room sage and there is even a small backyard! I could plant a . . . garden or something next summer." Barbara finished

by saying. Gordon placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"Hold on there Barb, we both are going to be busy these next couple of weeks, settling in and getting our bearings so let's take it easy. Not too many projects okay?"

He requested. "Let's just focus on getting what we have into this place."

"I know, I'm just excited with the possibilities." She explained as they linked arms and headed towards the truck.

Three hours later, all of their belongings were in their new home. Barbara stared daunted by the pile of boxes that filled every room.

"You never know how much stuff you have until you try to pack it up and move it." She said to the bare room.

She walked outside again to find her father seeing off the moving van driver.

"Thanks a lot. Have a good journey home." Gordon told the man. The sun was beginning to set and the lights of the city were starting to come on one by one.

"Yea well," The man rubbed his head. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

Barbara and her father shot each other a look, but Gordon shook hands with the man regardless.

"Thanks." Her father said simply.

The man gave a nod to Barbara and climbed back into the truck and pulled out.

The Gordons stood there watching.

"Nice guy. One of those glass half empty types of people I guess." He said to her.

Barbara shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. We are going to be fine." She said confidently.

Gordon turned back to stare at the house.

"I guess we better get building or else we both will be sleeping on our mattresses on the floor."

Barbara nodded. "Yea, let's start to make our house a home."

Since they were able to build the bases to both of their beds, the Gordons actually managed to get a decent night sleep. It was a good thing too because their day

was going to be busy.

Barbara awoke the next morning to bright sun in her eyes.

"Curtain." She mumbled. Her and her father managed to get a few things up last night, but a shade for the window was not one of them. She fumbled around for her

clock on the nightstand only to realize that she had no nightstand at the moment. Lazily, she sat up and surveyed her new room. The walls were white and bare.

Boxes covered most of the floor. She wondered which one had her clothes in it. As she started rummaging, the smell of coffee caught her attention.

"Good morning!" Her father greeted her as she entered the kitchen.

"Coffee." She managed to say.

"Yep, I'm working on it. Took me forever to find the right box though. Who knew we had so many bowls?" He told her.

She rubbed some of the sleep away from her eyes.

"I was marking on each box what it had inside, but then I started getting lazy as the day dragged on and we needed to start loading stuff onto the truck." She

explained as she watched him pour some of the black liquid into a mug.

She took it from him graciously.

"Did you find your clothes okay?" She asked him.

"Well, not at first. I thought I was going to have to wear that awful orange striped shirt, but then I found another box. Funny thing is, I thought I got rid of that shirt."

He mentioned. "Did you sleep okay?"

She shrugged. "Pretty good I guess." She took another sip. "I do need to take a shower though; I should probably start on getting the bathroom in order first. My

hair is probably a mess." She said.

"Well, if you want to go first, I'll start in here putting these dishes away. Do you want them in any order?" He asked her.

"Just keep the coffee mugs in the cupboard to the right of the sink. Anything else will be fine."

"Yes ma'am" He saluted. She returned his gesture.

She found the box with all the towels fairly easily. The linoleum was a blue floral pattern that actually wasn't too ugly. She laid down the fuzzy rugs in front of the

sink and the shower. It was a tight fit, but she made it work.

The water was thankfully hot, and didn't run out.

"Okay, all ready for you dad." Barbara called out into the kitchen.

She had managed to find one of her better pairs of jeans and a good shirt out of a couple different boxes.

Her father looked up at her from his position on the floor. A stack of plates were in front of him.

"How many plates do we need? We have enough here to host a dinner party." He told her.

"Some of it is Mom's dinner china. We can leave it wrapped up and put it on a higher shelf." Barbara decided. "Here, I'll take over; you can go take a shower."

"Alright." He agreed. "After I get out, we can start arranging the furniture so decided where you want it." He told her.

"Alright, I'll be ready." She assured him.

After a couple hours of huffing and puffing, they managed to get the front room in order, get Barbara's bookcases and her desk into her room. Gordon sat on the

couch as Barbara fixed the curtains that she had just put up over the window.

"And . . . there we go." She stepped down off the ladder to view her handiwork. "Another touch of home."

Her father looked at his watch.

"Are you ready for some lunch? It's important that we learn what places out here have takeout." He said in a mock serious tone.

"Definitely." She agreed. "I'm up for whatever you want."

"Okay, I'll grab a phone book."

And so the matter was settled and the nearest pizza place with delivery was called.

Barbara took a break from eating to ask, "Hey do you need anything particular for tomorrow that I need to wash?"

"I don't think so Barb. You washed my suit before we came here and made sure that I carefully packed it away. It might need to be ironed though." He said. "I

suppose that they will give me something official once I show up."

"Well, I will make sure that I am up early to see you off." She told him.

"You don't have to Barb. It will be the last time that you can sleep in on a Monday for a while."

Barbara shook her head.

"I have the entire week to sleep in if I want to. I am going to see my father off on his first day."

"You make me sound like I'm going to kindergarten. Funny, how it seems like you were just there." He replied staring fondly at his daughter.

"Besides, I want to get out early tomorrow to start learning the town."

"You sure you don't want me to drop you off somewhere?" He asked her.

"No it's okay. The bus picks up two blocks away and I am going to the school first to check it out and get my books. Then I am coming back here to drop them off at

home, and then I will head back out and explore, and end my day bringing back food for the homestead." She recited.

"Do you know where the library is?" He asked her knowingly. She grinned.

"I have a pretty good idea. I still have that map you brought me when you came for the interview. There are all sorts of places I want to look at." She said it with excitement in her voice.

"Just be careful." He cautioned her gently.

"I will." She assured him. "I'll be fine. Besides, I know what I'm doing. Remember, my father is Gotham's new police commissioner." She reminded him proudly.

* * *

Monday morning came. This time with no sun directly in her eyes as Barbara turned off her alarm button. She quickly slid out of bed and slipped on her fuzzy green

slippers and went out into the small hallway. Her father was in the kitchen, double checking the papers in his briefcase.

"Where is you suit jacket?" She asked him coming into the room.

He looked up quickly.

"Oh, ah, still hanging up in the laundry room. I've already turned the iron on." He informed her.

She thanked him and quickly made her way back down the hall and into the small room that housed their washer and dryer.

The deed was soon done and Barbara reappeared with one freshly pressed gray suit jacket.

"It's not perfect. I will never be as good as mom was." She explained as he put it on. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"It will be just fine. I'm sure it's better than I ever could have done." He said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Well," He said running a hand through his slightly graying brown hair. "I guess I better hit the road huh? Would not want to be late for my first day. I try to give you

a call sometime to let you know how I'm doing, okay?"

"Okay." She replied as she walked with him to the door. They both turned and stared at each other smiling. Barbara launched her arms around her father's

shoulders.

"It's going to be a great day." She assured him. "They are going to love you."

Her father set his shoulders and gave a firm smile.

"We'll see Barb." He said evenly. "Everyone there seemed very nice the first time I walked around."

"See? It will be great. I'm very proud of you. Mom would be too." She added.

Father and daughter shared a sad smile that quickly melted away into one of resolve.

"Off I go then." Gordon said as he opened the front door.

Barbara waved as he pulled away and watched as his vehicle was out of sight. She turned to face the empty room.

"I guess I had better get ready for my own day as well."

* * *

"You know sir, I am actually quite excited about this."

The English butler's voice broke through the quiet silence of the dining room.

"What was that Alfred?" Bruce Wayne asked lowering the newspaper in order to the older man's face. Alfred seemed to give a slight huff.

"The side column story—the new commissioner in town today." Alfred said pointing to the story on the page.

Bruce's eyes gave the story a calculated scan before he closed the section.

"We'll see." He replied firmly.

"Well I think that it will be a change for the better." Alfred said restating his belief.

"Well it sure can't get too much worse." A cheerful voice said entering the conversation. Both men in the dining room looked up.

"Master Richard," Alfred began. "I hadn't expected you to be up some soon what with both of you having a late night and it being the last free week before school

starts.

Black haired, blue eyed, Richard 'Dick' Grayson winced.

"Eh, don't remind me." He remarked as he pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "There should be some sort of school that people who have crime fighting

alter egos can attend. Maybe when this is all over, I can start one." He joked.

Bruce let the comment pass with the barest of an eye roll.

Alfred reappeared out from the kitchen bearing a plate that contained an omelet and a bowl of mixed fruit.

"Thank you." Dick said as Alfred handed the plate over along with a glass of orange juice. He speared a forkful of egg and cheese and took a bite. "So ut do we owh

about iss guy?" He asked.

"Well, besides. . ."

"Master Richard how many times must I tell you not to speak with your mouth full?" Alfred barged into his employer's response to chastise the young man.

"Auh lowt?" Was Dick's garbled response. Quickly realizing that he was doing it again, Dick burst into a grin that caused him to start coughing as he swallowed. He

cleared his throat. "Sorry Alfred. Old habits die hard."

"Well this one is a particularly old one." Alfred reminded him. Alfred shot Bruce a hopeless look.

"I'm sorry Alfred, but I'm pretty sure it's too late to give him back." Bruce responded picking up the paper.

Dick grinned.

"That's right. Warranty is now up." He added—making sure that this time there was no food in his mouth.

Alfred conceded with a smile that he could stay and headed back to the kitchen.

"So seriously, what do we know, beyond what you gathered at the meeting with him?" Dick asked.

"I wasn't actually there." Bruce reminded him from behind the newspaper. Dick twirled the fork in between his fingers.

"Okay then." Dick chose his words better, "Beyond what you gather from visual and audio surveillance."

Bruce grunted.

"Nothing that is useful at this point. During his interview, he gave all the right answers; his record contained all the right things, but . . ." Bruce trailed off. "But, that

proves nothing about his character. And I refuse to throw another one of our commissioner into prison."

"Yea, that was awkward." Dick inputted. "Having to put away people that are _supposed _to be on our side is getting old."

"We will not make the same mistake twice. Commissioner Gordon is going to have to prove himself and we are going to start studying his character immediately."

Bruce said firmly.

Dick tapped his fingers against the table.

"We've hit a bad stretch lately haven't we? Commissioner Williams was killed, Commissioner Tomik just plain got scared off, Commissioner Branson was released

from his post on ethical charges, and finally Commissioner O'Donnell . . ."

"Helped bring in more drugs into this city than any drug lord ever did." Bruce said finishing Dick's sentence.

"Not exactly a good track record when the Commissioner of your own town is showing up your number one mob boss—and not in a good way." Dick mentioned.

"That is why keeping tabs on Gordon is going to be a top priority. He's not from around here, and I know that that is one of the reasons the city chose him. He has

no connections; he doesn't owe anybody anything." Bruce set down his newspaper and glanced across the table at Dick.

"Gordon is going to have to earn our trust, especially before we let him in on anything. We are going to need to watch how he operates, how he conducts himself . . .

whether or not he's good at judging people's character."

Dick sat there quietly as Bruce continued.

"We will start observing him this weekend. I'm inviting him and his daughter to the charity auction this weekend." He finished saying.

Dick made a face.

"I forgot about that. What a way to end a week." He bemoaned.

"It will be important that we get a feel on what kind of man he is. You of course will have your own assignment." Bruce instructed. "Adults can be very deceptive in

their actions and personalities, but often their children lack such skill."

"That's where I come in," Dick said tiredly. "Honestly, from the beginning of time, I've always scouted out the commissioner's kids."

"Yes, and with some success." Bruce brought up. "You informed me from day one that Commissioner Branson's twin boys were often trouble makers, had no respect

for authority, and would often cheat when playing games."

"That doesn't always reflect the parents though." Dick pointed out. "And that describes plenty of high-school kids by the way."

"It reflected the parent that time." Bruce reminded him. "I expect nothing less from you this time around. However long it takes, I want full character sketches of

them both before we make any decisions. They are not to be trusted."

"So I get to be some ones new best friend." Dick said stiff tone of voice. "Joy. What's her name?"

"What?" Bruce responded looking back over at him.

"Her name." Dick repeated. "Some people have them."

"I don't recall, asked Alfred. He is in charge of making sure that the invitation gets delivered. She's going to Gotham University and that's all I know. I haven't given

her too much attention at the moment." Bruce answered dismissively.

Dick rested his hand on his chin and gave a sigh.

"Are you going out?" Bruce asked abruptly.

"I was thinking about it. Alfred mentioned that he wanted a book from the library so I might stop there." Dick answered. He turned back to Bruce who was once

again absorbed in the newspaper.

"Okay then," Dick said. "I'm going out, don't wait up for me."

* * *

**Random End Notes: **How are we doing? Is everyone on board here? Following so far? This might take a few

chapters to get the feel of this story and where I am trying to go, but I hope you will give it a chance. It's not a big

flashy/boom/bang kind of story, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to have fun. ;)

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I hadn't realized how short this chapter was. . .O/Cs appear as needed . . .and they will be needed.

**Let's See Here:**

Saphire122: I think so, but then again I'm biased, so I hope that it all works.

FFP: Your positivity gives me hope. Thanks.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned any of these characters, the world might be in trouble. Guess it's best that I don't :(

* * *

Chapter 2: New Places, New Faces

Barbara stepped out into the sunshine of the morning. On her walk to the bus stop, she saw no neighbors, dog walkers, or joggers to say good morning to. She

waited at the bus stop for seven minutes before it showed up. The driver actually seemed surprised to see someone there.

"Good morning!" She greeted the driver cheerfully. She received a cautious hello from the lady driving.

Barbara walked to the middle of the bus and took an aisle seat. No one on the bus seemed in the mood to talk or even to make eye contact.

She sat there quietly, and five stops later she was let off in front of Gotham University.

It was an impressive site. She, of course, had seen pictures of plenty of campuses, but this one seemed larger than life. Large concrete steps led up the entrance

framed by massive columns. There was an archway leading down from both sides of the entrance in which students could walk under to get to other parts of the

building. A fountain stood in the very center around it stood flags from various countries lifted high in the breeze. It could have been the U.N. building.

Barbara hardly knew where to start. There were a few people out already, so she chose to follow them in through the doors. After winding down various halls,

climbing stair, and generally poking around, she came to the campus store.

Now at least this, she was familiar with. She had no trouble finding the books that she needed and she didn't have to wait long to buy them.

"Is there a map of this place?" She asked the guy who was working behind the counter. He wordlessly pulled one out from underneath the counter and stuffed it into

the bag with her books.

"Thanks." She said somewhat sarcastically.

Taking the heavy bag with her out the door, she soon stopped to sit on the bench and pulled out the map. She was going to need to come back here sometime to

fully explore before classes started. For now, she was heading back home to unload these books and then it was on to the big city.

* * *

"They have an art museum." Barbara said excitedly to herself as she stood outside looking up the at the massive building. Various people walked passed paying no

attention. Barbara spun around slowly trying to figure out which direction to take. Every way looked interesting.

Now that she had gotten rid of her book load, all she had was her map and her messenger bag.

"They have a theater district!" She announced giddily. "I am going to love it here. Assuming I have any free time." She reminded herself.

She walked down different streets for hours trying to get an overall feel for the place. It was proving difficult. She finally took a seat outside of a park and watched

the humanity as is past.

Everyone seemed very rushed—few people made eye contact.

The park contained various sculptures and installation pieces which she stared over. Noting the time, she hurried off to see the public library.

She found it quickly tucked down on of the older, but no less busy, city roads.

Upon entering it she was greeted by a familiar smell. Books. The rich smell of the printed word, pressed onto paper, bound up on rows and rows of shelves that took

up _two _whole stories.

"This is heaven." Barbara announced as she breathed in the space. In the lobby hung information boards, as well as the list of donors to the library. She walked

towards the round librarian desk which sat in the center of the room.

"They have a rotunda." Barbara said breathlessly at the sight. Light streamed in from the domed window from above.

"A very unique feature of this library, my dear. How can I help you?"

Barbara turned her attention to the librarian who had stood up from her computer and had walked over.

A pair of horned rim glasses hung off her face. She had a beak nose and her white hair was done up in a tight bun.

"I was hoping to get a library card." Barbara spoke up softly.

"Okay, dear, I will just need you to fill this form out. Do you have a form of I.D. on you?" The librarian asked in a hushed tone.

Barbara just nodded.

"Okay then, just fill this out then and I can get you all set up. Would you like a pen?" She asked.

"Yes, please." Barbara answered.

The lady turned and pulled on out from a drawer. "When you are ready, just let me know." She returned to her seat and Barbara began filling in the information.

She kept getting distracted though. She wondered how many books were in here. How many had she never read? She let her mind wander as she look up at the

rotunda again wonder how old the building was.

"Having trouble dear?"

The librarian's voice brought Barbara back down to earth.

"Oh, no, just getting distracted. This is a beautiful library." Barbara commented. The librarian raised an eyebrow and looked around.

"Yes it is. Getting old though like the rest of us." She joked quietly.

"It must be wonderful to work here. How long have you?" Barbara asked with interest. The old lady seemed surprised at the question.

"Why, thirty years this coming spring. My sister has worked here longer than that though." She explained.

Barbara's eyes widened.

"You work here with your sister? That is so nice." She commented.

"Yes, she's actually over. . ." The librarian looked around and finally waved to an older lady carrying an armload of books. "Martha is my older sister—she's a little

hard of hearing." She mentioned to Barbara.

"Grace?" The older woman asked as she walked behind the desk.

"Martha this is . . ."

"Barbara Gordon." Barbara spoke up trying to be a bit louder for the older lady's benefit.

"Shhh. Dear. This is a library." The older woman said solemnly.

"Sorry." Barbara said this time quieter. Apparently, this lady's hearing wasn't _that _bad.

"Nice to meet you dear." Martha greeted her. "What brings you to this town?"

"My dad got a new job." Barbara explained.

"You poor dear." Grace said quietly.

Barbara blinked.

"I'm sorry?" She asked thinking that she had misheard.

"Never mind dear. Martha, she was admiring the rotunda." Grace told her sister.

"Indeed. It actually cracked inward once, oh a couple decades ago, but Mr. Wayne saw to it that it was repaired."

"That's nice." Barbara said. "I just love looking at this place. I could probably live here."

The sisters exchanged a grin.

"My husband," Grace began. "Says that if I could bring my cat here, I would never come home. He's joking of course." She clarified pushing up her glasses.

Barbara smiled as she wrote down the last of her information and handed the paper over.

"One moment dear." Martha said.

In a couple minutes, a new shiny laminated card was in her hand.

"There you are dear, have fun."

"I will. I'll be back in a bit with an armload of books." Barbara replied with a grin.

To be honest, Barbara didn't know which way to head. There were just too many options. She decided to work her way from right to left, bottom to top. It was going

well, but she couldn't help but wander around a bit. It was all just too tempting to go from place to place in search of old favorites and new discovers.

She actually only had two problems, time and weight. She had to get going soon, and she still needed to stop for groceries so she couldn't carry too many extra

books.

After an hour she had seven books. She eyed them. She couldn't get them all today. She had to make a decision. After minuets of fighting with herself, she chose

which three to put back for now.

On her way to put the last of the books back, she spotted one she hadn't read in a while on the shelf.

"Oh, this is painful." Barbara said taking the book from the shelf. She stared at the cover. "I'll put it back and get it next time." She said with firm resolve.

She turned to face the empty space that the removed book at left and was surprised to see a pair of stunning blue eyes coming through the other side.

Surprised, she dropped the book onto the floor. It hit with a bang that echoed. She quickly bent down and grabbed it off the floor feeling slightly embarrassed. She

stood back up.

The pair of eyes was gone.

She placed the book back on the shelf. Feeling curious, she crept down the aisle and poked her head around to the next row.

It was empty. She bit her lip mystified.

Then she remembered the time. She picked up her remaining books and went to the counter.

"All set Barbara?" Grace asked her with a kind smile.

"I think so. I had a hard time just sticking with a few."

Grace carefully and preciously scanned each book.

"I miss stamping them to be honest with you." She told Barbara.

Barbara thanked her and stuck the books in her bag.

"Better hurry to catch the bus." She muttered to herself as she got back out on the street. She was going to need much, much, more time to explore this whole

place.

* * *

The local grocery store was surprising large for a mom and pop store. She started with the basic food groups: grains, dairy, fruit, and vegetables. As her bag got full

she ended with a bar of cheese and a few packages of sliced meat.

She was checked out by a guy who was about her age. Attempting conversation she asked, "Have you lived here long?"

The guy snapped out of his trance.

"Too long." Was the only response that she got. She decided that something was odd about the people of this town. But she had no spare time to think about it. She

had a bus to catch.

By the time she reached her door, her arms felt as though they were about to fall off. She managed to pull her key out and get the door open. She dragged the bags

in by to two trips and laid them on the counter.

She slowly put everything away. Once everything was away she looked up at the clock.

"Huh, Dad never called. Guess he got busy. And I guess it's time to get busy myself. I better get some dinner ready."

She pulled open cupboards and soon discovered where her father had out all the pots and pans.

By the time she heard the front door knob rattle and the door open, she had their small table set and had their sandwiches ready. She quickly went to the door to

greet him.

"Dad!" She said as his form came in from the outside. "You look tired." She noticed.

"I feel tired." He said good-naturedly. "This was quite a day."

"Well, take you shoes off I've got dinner already." She told him.

He gave a smile.

"You are too good Barb; tell me about your day." He instructed her as he sat down heavily in the kitchen chair. He took a long drink of his water and loosened his tie.

"Okay, but then you have to tell me something." She informed him. He gave a tired nod and she recounted the events of the day.

* * *

"My poor daughter, not enough time for all those books." He said with a grin.

"You have no idea." She said. "The librarians were really nice, everyone else though was . . .odd."

Gordon raised an eyebrow.

"I mean everyone seemed really . . . down on the town." She tried to explain further.

Her father sighed.

"We both knew that this wasn't exactly a nice place." He reminded her.

"Yea, but I guess I thought maybe it was all . . . hype." She said.

Her father leaned over and grabbed his briefcase off the floor. Opening it up, he pulled out a stack of files and laid them on the table.

Barbara waited for an explanation.

"These are all the cases that were opened just yesterday." He waited for her response.

"People here have way to much free time." Barbara said staring at the stack.

"Most of it is from organized crime. There is a lot of it here. There is going to be a lot of work to do." He added.

"How were the people at the station?" She asked.

He shrugged.

"Nice, like last time. Watson is the person with the desk on the left outside of my office. He likes soccer. Jettson has the desk on the right. He likes . . ."

"Dad you don't have to memorize their names _and _their hobbies all in one night." She told him gently.

He shot her a rueful grin.

"Yea I know, best to get a jump on it though. I have to go meet the mayor again tomorrow, and then the day after that I have to give a speech to the city council

and then to some other group and then I have to meet the local state representative . . . I got worn out just writing it all down." Her father slumped back in his chair.

"And that doesn't even include any of the _actual_ work that I need to get done." He let out a sigh.

"But I guess the first week is always the hardest."

Barbara nodded encouragingly. "I'll help you if I can." She offered.

"Barb, I don't want you to spend you last free week. . ."

"Dad, it's fine really." She assured him. "It will all settle down. How about you relax in the front room for a bit? I got the stereo hooked up. We can listen to some

Gershwin." She suggested.

Gershwin had been the favorite composer of Barbara's parents. It had become the perfect way to unwind in the evenings, and as it turned out, the perfect way to

end the night.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **I love Gershwin and books. I'll try to update another chapter soon. This one was kind of less then thrilling. Good things to come though!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Let's start this train going someplace, shall we?

**Let's See Here: **

**WawaNisaDCfan: **We shall find out . . . :)

**Saphire122****: **Thanks! It will be fun.

**Laura:** Wow, really flattered. Thanks for reading!

**Guest: **You have the first haiku review of the story. Well done!

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Batman, if I did I might also have the power to make every day Saturday

* * *

Chapter 3: Happy Faces, Empty Rooms

It was Thursday and Jim Gordon was tired. He had given more speeches, shaken more hands, and generally worked harder and longer than he could ever

remember in his life—but he felt like he really hadn't done much at all yet. Things were just getting started. He collapsed into the armchair in the front room as

his daughter entered carrying a tray with his dinner on it.

"How are you doing?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"Tired. Thanks sweetheart." He said as she set the tray down. "Thank goodness this week is almost over. Are you almost done exploring the city?" He asked

his daughter changing the subject.

She gave a grin.

"I haven't made too much progress beyond the library. I've looked around a bit. . ." She paused when she noticed that her father had dozed off. She stood up

to turn off the light when her father's eyes opened.

"I'm still here." He informed her. She sat back down.

"At least you get Saturday off." She reminded him hoping that it would give him some encouragement.

"I think days off are going to be subject to major factors." He informed her. "But don't think I've forgotten about how you want to go see a play or an opera or

something."

"It's okay, Dad. Don't worry about it. We'll fit one in sometime, besides school starts next week, so then we will both be busy."

"That reminds me," Her father said grabbing his briefcase. "I got a piece of interesting of mail at the office today.

He handed her an average looking envelope that had already been open. Taking it from him curiously, Barbara pulled out the card inside.

It was a one sided sheet of heavy paper inviting both of them to a charity auction at a place called Wayne Manor. She slid her fingers against the silver

embossed words.

"I've seen wedding invitations, that weren't this fancy." She commented in awe. "Where is this place? Is it like a banquet hall or something?"

Her father shook his head with a bit of a smile.

"I wasn't sure myself, but one of the men was able to inform me that it is the personal home of this city's most famous and . . . let's say eccentric citizen." He

finished talking and watched his daughter's face.

She waited for him to say something else. He didn't.

"So who is that?" She prodded him. Gordon smiled at her in amusement.

"I didn't think you would know. You don't read the society papers or any gossip magazines." He added. She cocked her head starting to realize what he was

getting at.

"So are we going?" She asked hesitantly handing the invitation back.

"I don't know. Do you want to?" He asked her.

"It's supposed to be your day off, so it's up to you." She replied.

"Would it be polite to refuse? I mean I guess we could say that . . . our hamster is having surgery or something." He said jokingly. "I don't know, it could be fun

I guess. Maybe. We could practice our observation skills there I bet. All sorts of people are probably going to be there. Shoot, it may even be interesting." He

added with a smile.

Barbara nodded slowly.

It could be interesting . . .

* * *

That Saturday, Alfred weaved through all the extra help that had arrived with the caterer that evening. Seeing that everything was is order, he headed upstairs

to report.

He first stopped to knock on Bruce's door.

There was no response.

Opening the door slowly, he discovered the large bedroom empty. Giving a small huff, the butler walked a few more yards down the hall and knocked on

another door. This time there was a response.

"Come on in."

Alfred entered to see Dick sitting on the end of his bed staring at his suit that hung on the opposite side of the room.

"You know, you are going to be required to actually put it on." Alfred set with a bit of a smile in his voice.

Dick turned his head slightly so as to look at a clock.

"Yea, I know. I'm just waiting for the last possible second." Dick informed him.

"Well, that time is rapidly approaching." Alfred told him. "You wouldn't happen to know the current location of Master Bruce would you?"

Dick managed a quirky smile.

"Where he always is at any given time of day—the batcave." Dick felt a little funny having to remind Alfred of this. Alfred seemed to take it in stride.

"Well, you both need to try and hurry up. It is crucial . . ."

". . . that we be downstairs at precisely the right moment. Yes, Alfred, I know. I've lived here awhile remember?" Dick joked.

"Yes, well we both know that time management is not one of your strong points." Alfred said with an eyebrow raised.

"That's why we have you Alfred." Dick said smoothly with a grin.

At this the elder butler had to smile.

"And it's a rather good thing that you do." Alfred responded. Now, get a move on it." He instructed before leaving. He shut the door without a sound.

* * *

"Dad, do you think this will be okay?" Jim Gordon looked up to see his daughter standing in the doorway to his bedroom. She stood there with her lips in a thin

line waiting for his response.

"What am I supposed to say?" He asked almost nervously.

She placed her hands on her hips.

"How does this dress look? I wore it once before to . . . something, I think. Do you think that it will be alright?" She ran her hands down the smooth olive-green

fabric of her dress.

It was sleeveless, with ripples of more green fabric spilling over both shoulders all collecting with the waves of fabric in the front. She had wrapped a plain gold

chain a couple times around her neck.

"Yes, no, maybe?" Her father responded in non-committal way. Barbara gave out a sigh.

"Daaaaaad . . ." Barbara said groaning. Her father gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry Barb, you know I'm no good at this. Besides, I'm biased. I think that you always look perfect." His daughter offered up a smile at his response.

"So we are going with it." She concluded. "Do you think that I'll be cold? Maybe I should grab a wrap or shawl if I can find one." She added heading back to her

room.

"Wait Barb!" Her father called back to her. "Which one of these ties is my better one?" He held out both black ties and she quickly looked them over.

"This one." She replied pointing to the tie on the left.

"Right, thanks." He said going back into his room. Barbara stood there with a smile.

"Wait, so I am able to help you with what you are wearing, but you can't help me?"

* * *

The drive up to Wayne Manor took a little longer than expected, leaving the Gordons somewhat rushed for time.

"I had no idea that it was way out here." Her father commented as they drove along. Barbara folded the map back up as she looked out the window. The sun

was starting to set as they had started out. There weren't a lot of street lights heading out that way, but the house that appeared out their car window lit up

with lights all its own. The term 'house' usually conjures up a picture of a two-story beige building located in any neighborhood. Wayne Manor was no such

place.

"Um, is that right?" Barbara asked breaking into the awed silence that had filled the car. Her father blinked and then spoke.

"I guess so. I was figuring that it was going to be a big place, but this place is huge." He said.

As their car drove along, the mansion seemed to grow in height. The large gate at the end of the drive was thrown open so as to allow people to drive on

through. The front lawn was the textbook example of perfect landscaping.

"It's like it's not even real." Barbara practically whispered as they drove up the drive. The road swerved around and up to the crest where the mansion lay.

A man stood up by the front door in order to take their car away. He said nothing as Gordon and Barbara got out and was giving the keys.

Barbara turned around to stare at the fountain that lay across the way. Her father caught her eye and gave her a grin.

"It's really pretty." Barbara said. "Really pretty." Her father offered her his arm gallantly and led her up to the door. The sound of another car coming up the

path caught their attention and they turned around to see a red Ferrier speeding up the road.

Gordon nudged his daughter.

"Hey, Barb, we forgot something." He said they stood on the front step. She turned to him with concern.

"What's that?" She asked seriously.

"We forgot to drive the Corvette."

With that, they both broke into a laugh that ended quickly as the front door was opened.

There stood a distinguished older man dressed perfectly in a finely pressed suit.

"Good evening." He greeted them cordially, his British accent added to the formality. Gordon took the lead.

"Good evening." He replied back.

"If I am assuming correctly you are Commissioner Gordon correct?"

"Yes, ah, Jim." Gordon offered his hand to the man who shook it warmly.

"Alfred Pennyworth, sir, at your service. This lovely young lady must be your daughter." He said turning his attention to Barbara who slightly blushed. She

managed a nod.

"Barbara." She stated offering her hand which the older man took.

"A pleasure my dear. Please come in, come in!" He ushered them further into the house.

Barbara gazed up in wonder at the scene before her.

It was like walking into a movie set of a party scene—only everything was real. She stared around almost in a daze. She tried to study every part of the room.

She itched to see every part of it. Suddenly, she caught her father saying her name.

"What?" She asked snapping out of her haze. She found that both Mr. Pennyworth and her father were staring at her.

"See?" Her father told the older man, "She isn't listening to a word I'm saying." Gordon had a grin on his face as he spoke noticing the confused expression

that graced his daughter's face. "I was just telling him how much you like to stare at architecture." He told her.

"Oh," Barbara said feeling sheepish at having not been listening. "I'm not a great expert or anything, I just like to look." She explained.

"Well, that is good to know." Alfred told her. "Not too many young people have interests in such things. If you want, you can look around the house further." He

offered.

Barbara's eyes widened.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I'll just . . ." She started saying.

"No, I insist. I would love to show somebody around. I haven't done that in ages." The older man's eyes lit up with a sparkle.

Barbara glanced over at her father who gave her a grin and a wink.

"Well, I guess so then. I mean, if it's not too much trouble." Barbara added remembering her manners.

"It would be a delight." Alfred told her. "Although. . . ." The butler paused. "I might have a thing or two to do first, so go in and enjoy yourself and I shall fetch

you when I'm ready."

"Alright, thank you." Barbara told him as he motioned her and her father forward into the main ballroom.

"Ready?" Her father whispered to her as they stepped down onto the polished marble floor.

Barbara gripped her father's arm a bit tighter and nodded. Although she never would have admitted it, she did have a touch of the butterflies in her stomach.

There were a lot of people in that room.

* * *

Alfred weaved through the crowds of people and effortlessly made his way to Bruce's side.

"Our guests of honor have just arrived sir." He informed him quietly. Bruce took a glance towards the door.

"Where's Dick?" He asked. Alfred gave a quick scan around the room.

"At the moment, I haven't the foggiest. Shall I find him?" Alfred offered. Bruce gave an imperceptible look at a clock on the wall.

"Not at the moment. I suppose we will all have to be formally introduced after the main event. We have to get this event going or we will never get to patrol

tonight." Bruce muttered as an afterthought.

"Very good sir." Alfred agreed.

And so the night began.

* * *

At the beginning, Barbara really was trying to remember the names of everyone who she met, but after a couple dozen, she gave up. There were just too many

faces and names all jumbled together in a short period of time. After a while, everyone just started to look alike, so she adopted the 'smile and nod' method. It

never failed.

Her father seemed to be taking it in stride, but he at least had already met some of these people. He seemed to notice the overwhelmed expression that

occasionally crossed her face. Thankfully though, after some time had passed, the action was called to begin.

And after an hour and a half it was over.

To be honest, it was a long, long, hour and a half.

Barbara's eyes kept wandering up to the ceiling. The auction was interesting she guessed, but after a while, as with people, everything started to look the

same. Her father and her occasionally exchanged glances and at one point her father seemed about ready to fall asleep. A gentle nudge however, kept him

from dozing off. He shot her a grateful look.

When it was finally time to stand back up, Barbara was about convinced that her father wasn't going to be able to make it.

"Give me a second." He said in a huff before standing up. "I think both of my legs fell asleep at the same time." He told her as he gave a shake with each of his

legs. Barbara shook her head.

"I think that _all _of you was about to fall asleep." She commented. As if on cue, he yawned.

"It was a tempting idea. I think I need some coffee." He mentioned looking around.

"I think that I saw some over on that table over there, although it is a bit late for a cup." She said with a hint of caution.

"I'll be fine trust me. At this point, nothing can stop me from sleeping like a log tonight." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Okay." She said taking his word for it with a smile.

"Pardon me, Miss Gordon?" Barbara and her father both stopped talking and turned to see Alfred standing there with his hands clasped.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Are you quite ready for your tour of the lower levels?" He asked her.

To Barbara's amusement, the Englishmen seemed almost excited. She looked over at her father who motioned her to go.

"You know where I'll be. I won't leave without you." He assured her jokingly.

Leaving her father, Barbara wove through all the guests following the butler.

Taking a door on the left, they quietly slipped out into a different room. Alfred walked over and turned on a light.

"I'm a bit nervous," He began. "It's been a while since I showed someone around."

"I'm sure you will be fine." She said encouragingly.

* * *

For the rest of the time, Barbara felt like she was on a tour of a museum. Alfred's gentle voice floated through the halls and into the rooms in which they

walked. He recited from memory as much as he could remember. He pointed out interesting furniture pieces and historical objects all without missing a step.

She asked questions along the way which he answered with ease.

She felt like she was on a movie set and that at any moment, she would turn the corner and see the plain wood backing of a stage piece. It never happened.

They finally reached a sitting room that made up the right corner of that floor. Alfred took his position by the carved coal black fireplace and prepared for

another lecture.

"They should really put you to work in a museum Mr. Pennyworth. You have a good head for facts and figures." She told him. He gave her a kind smile.

"That, my dear, just comes with being old and staring at the same things for decades upon decades." Alfred replied looking around the room fondly as if

recalling a thousand memories.

"I've never been in a place quite like this." Barbara said.

"I assure you. There is no place quite like this one. Not in the whole world." Alfred said with some pride.

Barbara looked around the room again letting her hand wander over the upholstered fabric of the chairs. This had been the umpteenth room that she had been

in that late evening, but she always got the same overall impression.

He watched as she walked around the room. She turned to face him.

"Does it always feel so . . ." She paused trying to think of the right words. He stood silently as he waited for her answer. ". . . empty?"

"There's not many of us that live here." He told her with a small smile.

Barbara shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. Every room just feels cold, like something needs to come and fill it up."

Alfred went silent at her words. A look crossed his face that Barbara had no name for. She bit her lip figuring that she had said something wrong. She decided

to change the subject.

"These mirrors are beautiful. I can't imagine cleaning them all. I am terrible at cleaning mirrors." She confessed.

"It's not that bad." Alfred said coming out of his trance. "Just takes some time and a keen eye." Barbara spun around to face him.

"_You _clean all these?" Barbara said, now impressed. "All by yourself?" Alfred shrugged modestly.

"Everything is cleaned in rotation, it's not so hard." He told her.

"Well, they look wonderful." She told him honestly. "And I envy your skill."

"Well, thank you." Alfred replied genuinely touched.

The grandfather clock in the room chimed. Alfred looked over at it swiftly.

"Oh, my, I hadn't realized the time. Well, uh . . ." Alfred looked around the room. "This was our last room."

"It's okay." Barbara told him. "We can stop. I'm sure that you have a million more things to do." She said understandingly.

"I hate to cut it short." He said apologizing. "If you wish you can look around and then take the stairs down into the garden. That is, if you don't mind going

alone."

"Oh, I don't." She told him.

"Well, then, all you have to do is go down the stairs and take the path to the fountain. If you take a right it will lead you to the main balcony which is attached

to the ballroom or you can take a left. But I warn you, that path is a long walk." He instructed her.

"Sure I'll be fine. I'll be glad to see it too."

He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Well, then, I'll see you in a bit." He gave her a small bow and headed out.

Barbara slowly sunk down into one of the chairs and glanced around.

It was such a beautiful place, but for some reason, the rooms seemed to ache for . . . something. If only walls _could _talk.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **I can't draw to save my life, but I love art, so Barbara does too.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **So, how is everyone doing?

**Let's See Here . . . **

**Saphire122****: **Alfred is one of the best. I do love writing him.

**Laura: **Thanks! Hope that you continue to.

**WawaNisaDCFan : **Last chapter was Babs heavy, but we are getting back to Dick now . . .

**Guest: **I will! :)

**Disclaimer: **Alas poor me, I do not own any of these characters . . . :(

* * *

Chapter 4: What are the Odds, That Could Have Gone Better

By the time Alfred made it back to the main room he could tell that Master Bruce was looking for him. It was a subtle look, but definitely there.

Seamlessly breaking his conversation with the mayor, Bruce wandered over to meet Alfred halfway in a corner of the room.

"Where have you been?" He asked the butler.

"I was showing Miss Gordon around. We were rather having a lovely time when . . ."

"Where is she now?" Bruce broke in.

"In the north sitting room. We were almost done when I noticed the time . . ."

"She's wandering the house alone?" Bruce questioned as if such a thing was unfathomable.

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"She is going to wander out into the garden and come up the balcony that is adjoined to this room." Alfred explained carefully. "She should be here in oh, a five

minutes or so. She has a very good eye for detail. I think that even you would be impressed by . . ."

"Have you seen Dick recently? I saw him once and he intentionally didn't look my way." Bruce huffed while glancing around the room again.

Alfred paused before responding, making sure that he wouldn't be interrupted this time.

"I have not since he passed me coming down the stairs before this whole thing started."

"Find him then. I want him in here." Bruce ordered. Alfred gave a sigh and went looking.

* * *

Dick sat on the rail to the balcony, swinging his legs through the bars. He liked it out there away from all the noise, chatter, and people. There was only just one

problem.

He looked up skyward.

You couldn't see any stars from Wayne Manor.

Every time however, he felt compelled to look even though he knew that the house's lights were too bright and that the stars were drowned out by the city's smog.

There were out there still, even if he couldn't see them.

Sounds of people talking brought him out of his thoughts. He swiveled and dropped to his feet soundlessly. It wouldn't do well to be caught loafing around outside

with everything going on. Alfred would never let him hear the end of it.

Two forms appeared coming through the open doors from the ballroom. Dick recognized them soon enough.

Landon and Chelsea Hofmann was a brother/sister twin set. One was rarely seen without the other. They came from a family of German bankers or something like

that. They were nice enough people in his opinion, around his age, but for some reason, they were always seconds away from fighting with each other.

He greeted them politely.

"Out for some air?" Chelsea asked him.

"Something like that." He told her with a slight shrug.

"Well Landon told me that if he was in there for another minute he was never going to wash the perfume smell off him." She said gesturing to her brother. Landon

ran a hand through his blond hair before speaking.

"I swear I was about to pass out." He said, as if the entire experience left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Well, at least you didn't." Dick replied positively while shuffling his feet. He snuck a glance at his wristwatch and was surprised at the time and the fact that Alfred

had not yet come and collected him.

"We were just talking about the new commissioner. We just met him." Chelsea informed him.

"Oh, really? I haven't yet. What did you think?" Dick asked, figuring he might as well gather some people's first impressions.

The twins exchanged a look.

"He was very nice." Landon said first before his sister could speak. It always surprise Dick when he beat his sister to the punch.

"Aren't they all though?" Chelsea exclaimed. "That's what everyone said about Commissioner Branson _and _Commissioner O'D. . ."

"Yes, but. . ." At this point, Dick knew Landon wasn't going to get another word in until his sister unloaded.

"I mean they are all nice, but we all know that it is an act. No one who holds that title stays decent. It's like a curse or something!" She added with conviction.

"I think that's going a bit far." Landon said as his sister took in a breath of air. "It is an important job and I am sure the pressure is heavy." Chelsea rolled her eyes.

"We really should just swear them in and then take them right off to jail. It would probably save taxpayers . . . something." She tacked on.

"Chelsea, I don't think . . ." Landon tried to say.

"I think you need to look at it this way." Dick broke in over him. "We just need to make sure that the right people keep an eye on him. Just like everyone else, he'll

need to prove that he's not a crook. Gordon will have to earn our trust." He said thinking back to Bruce's words earlier in the week.

* * *

"_. . .he'll need to prove that he's not a crook. Gordon will have to earn our trust_._" _

The words froze Barbara cold on the stairs.

She had just gotten her foot on the first step leading up the balcony when the words floated past her. She felt a wave of anger come over her.

How dare someone make such an assumption! What nerve did it take to . . . She fought the rising emotion down, but one thing was clear. Whoever was on that

balcony had better be prepared.

She took the last couple of steps carefully so as not to be noticed right away.

Three figures stood there in conversation.

"I suppose that seems reasonable." The blond guy said. What appeared to be the female version of him crossed her arms.

The last figure—the other guy—had his back to Barbara as she took her last step up.

"I think that would depend on your definition of reasonable." Barbara said firmly. It wasn't exactly the way she had imagined opening, but it worked.

The blond twins seemed startled at her presence. The last figure turned around to face her.

"Why is that?" He asked without a hint of sarcasm.

She assessed him quickly.

He wasn't too much taller than she was. She didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy about him. Average kind of face, coal black hair, but his eyes gave her

pause. They were blue eyes—stunning blue eyes. A thought ran through her head, but she dismissed it.

There was no way he was the person in the library. No one of any sort of intelligence would have uttered such a careless remark.

"You are saying that it is reasonable that a man be guilty until proven innocent. My understanding is that it is _supposed _to be the other way around." She charged.

The blond twins exchanged a look.

"Is anything in this town the way it's supposed to be?" The other guy told her.

Barbara raised an eyebrow and filed the remark away for further investigation.

"That's quite a statement." She told him. "This city really is in trouble if even the truth is given a backseat to popular opinion."

The man with the blue eyes blinked. At first she though he looked amused, but then his expression faded into curiosity.

"That's just the way it is." The blond girl broke in saying. "We have no other choice."

"What my sister means," The guy, who Barbara could now confirm was her brother, said "Is that we have no other choice but to think that way. Circumstance

demands it."

"No, that's not what I mean." His sister said turning to face him.

"Of course it is. What else could you mean?" Landon asked, now confused.

* * *

Dick turned his attention away from the bickering siblings to take a better look at the girl, who practically floated in from the garden on air.

Bat-instincts kicked in.

She was a red-head. Around his height, with a pair of blue eyes that looked as if they could bore right through him. He was pretty sure that he had never seen her

before. Maybe he had. He started to flip through faces in his head. He watched as she studied the Hofmann twins.

"They always do this." He explained trying to be affable as the twins bickered. "And once they start, nothing can stop them."

The girl said nothing back to him.

He looked back again at the twins and turned around.

She was gone.

He twisted his head around to the open doors leading into the ballroom. Realizing that neither of the twins were paying attention, he headed for the inside.

He quickly bumped into Alfred.

"Master Richard?" Alfred asked in a tone Dick was familiar with.

He managed a grin.

"I was coming . . . eventually." He explained.

"Master Bruce was quite ready to believe that you were never here to begin with." Alfred informed him.

"Oh, come on Alfred." Dick said. "You know I don't do . . . these types of things." He finished with a shrug, but a smile soon grew across his face. "You know Alfred,

when I was little you used to say that I would 'grow into these things'. Still think that's possible?"

Alfred gave him a once over and gave a sigh.

"At this point, I don't believe so, but it would help if you would try." He instructed.

"That sounds like too much work. Let's face it, it won't ever be me." Dick said this with some regret.

It was true that perhaps he didn't try quite as hard as he maybe could, but it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Talking to people for hours about nothing particularly

interesting was _not _a good way to spend an evening. What made it even harder, was how good Bruce was at it. It was almost irritating to watch; mesmerizing

perhaps.

And no matter how hard he tried, Dick would never be that good at it, and he knew it.

"Well, then, no time to dwell on the past." Alfred said while dusting off Dick's shoulders. "Only time to focus on the future, speaking of which, it is time for tonight's

main attraction." He said with a knowing look.

"So what do you think of him?" Dick asked. Alfred had a good knack for 'feeling' out people, and although he was not bat-trained, his opinion was worth gold.

"Well, I know Master Bruce said no rash judgments, but I like them." Alfred said in a satisfied voice. "Commissioner Gordon reminds me a bit of Commissioner

Williams, though not as old. He even has a mustache."

Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Is that important?"

"I don't think so," Alfred said thinking upon his words. "But for some reason, I feel that it helps in some way."

Dick stopped walking to face him.

"Well, let's tell Bruce and call the whole observation of the Gordons off!" Dick announced with a grin.

Alfred allowed himself to smile and replied.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to convince Master Bruce." He said definitively.

"Too bad." Dick said honestly. "Would save us a whole lot of trouble. What about her?" He asked.

The smile that crossed the older man's face told Dick the whole story.

"She is lovely. I would adopt her in a heartbeat. She seemed absolutely enchanted by the house and even went so far as to let me drone on about it as I showed her

some of the rooms. She appreciated my clean mirrors." Alfred reported with pride.

Dick had to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, we are all set then, our Commissioner has a mustache and his daughter likes clean mirrors." Dick joked. "But seriously, Alfred." Dick said staring at him.

"I like them." Alfred said simply before starting to walk once more heading into the ballroom. Dick paused on the outset and stared into the room.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders in attempt once again to be Bruce Wayne's 'son'.

He plunged in after Alfred and soon caught up with the butler who was intentionally walking slowly in order to let him catch up. Dick was thankful that Alfred never

missed a beat.

After weaving through, and saying a quick hello to various people, Dick soon spotted Bruce talking to what he only could assume was the Gordons. Not that he could

judge very well from their backs.

Dick stopped suddenly at what he saw.

It was the girl at Gordon's side.

Red hair, green dress, his height . . .

"Shoot." Dick breathed quietly as he gave himself a mental kick. Alfred stopped and turned around.

"Master Richard? Is everything alright?" He asked Dick in a concerned tone. Dick managed a smile.

"Yea, Alfred. Of course." He said faking certainty. It was the kind of answer that would have fooled anyone, but Alfred, who raised an eyebrow, but wasn't going to

push the matter.

"Come on now, you've kept them waiting long enough." Alfred informed him as they took the last few steps that took them into Bruce's line of vision.

Bruce, who was already involved in a conversation with Jim Gordon, made room for a perfect pause in order for Alfred to say.

"Well, I had to turn over quite a few rocks, but I found him." Alfred announced coming to a stop by Bruce's side. Dick shifted in order to see the look that crossed

Barbara's face.

The look of recognition was instant, and she suddenly found the bracelet on her arm extremely interesting.

"Richard is always somewhere." Bruce told the Gordons. He used a tone of voice that let Dick know that he had better be on his best behavior. If he _hadn't _have

been on his best behavior, Dick would have given Bruce a glare.

"Richard, nice to meet you." Jim Gordon made the first move to offer his hand. Dick took it instantly.

"You as well sir." Dick responded.

Although, having been to numerous parties for most of his life, Dick never felt that he had the talking part down. He had found that saying 'sir' at the end of

sentences made whatever he said sound proper.

"This is my daughter Barbara." Gordon said moving slightly so his daughter could take a step forward.

Dick greeted her with a smile and a slight nod as his warm hand shook her slightly cool one.

Their eyes met for half a second, but when they did, Dick noticed two things. One was that a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and the other was that

she gave absolutely no hint that anything that had just happened between them less than five minutes ago.

Bruce was wrong; she didn't lack any skill for acting. She could act perfectly.

She had the upper hand and she knew it. And she knew that he knew it too.

"We were just discussing the plans for the new cancer hospital." Bruce told him inviting him to comment.

"Fascinating." Dick responded.

'Fascinating' was a brilliant word that Dick had learned when he was younger. When said in a sincere voice it gave the impression that you were interested in

whatever was going on.

Often though, he got into the bad habit of using it constantly and once said it practically to every guest at a party. Bruce then told him he couldn't say it anymore and

then Dick started saying 'remarkable'. That didn't last long either. But he was a kid then, and adults would let it slide. Things were different now.

"I got to see the construction for myself firsthand the other day." Gordon said. "Very impressive. I would love to see the plans."

Dick counted to three.

"If you want, you could see them right now. I happen to have a copy of them on file." Bruce offered in a generous voice.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind . . ." Gordon said.

"Of course not." Bruce broke in seamlessly.

Dick wanted to shake his head. How _did _Bruce manage to do that so effortlessly?

"Barb, do you want to see?" Gordon turned to his daughter.

"No, it's alright Dad." She said with a smile.

"Alright, then," Gordon told her with a hint of a question in his voice. "What about you Richard?" He asked.

Dick thought quickly. Barbara had made the interesting choice to stay behind. He might as well, do the same.

"I've seen them half a dozen times, I doubt they've changed. But be sure to notice the layout of the main floor. It's remarkable." Dick told him.

Bruce allowed his eyebrow to go up a tenth of an inch as Dick gave a smile.

"Okay then." Gordon said, although it was obvious that he felt that he had missed out on something.

"This way." Bruce motioned giving Dick a final look as both he and Commissioner Gordon exited the room.

Dick closed his eyes and turned around to once again face the girl that he had recently made angry.

He gave a slight cringe.

"Thank you." He said honestly.

The corner of her mouth went up again as he surveyed him.

"For what?" She asked innocently.

His eyes narrowed. She could give Bruce a run for his money in the acting department.

"Don't play dumb." He told her simply.

"I doubt it would have been polite to bring it up. Especially since the conversation was going so well just now."

Dick bit back his first response.

"Well, thank you regardless. My head would have been had." He informed her.

At this, she showed curiosity.

"From . . ."

"Alfred." He told her before she could guess.

"Alfred?" Her blue eyes lit up with interest. She turned her head to catch a glimpse of the butler once again weaving through the guests. "He doesn't look like the

head-hunter type to me."

"Well, don't let the English grandfather act fool you. Alfred is the king of decorum. Woe to anyone who crosses his path."

"Well, at least somebody is." She replied sharply.

Dick made sure to hold his tongue.

This was so not fair and she knew it. He had to be on his best behavior, while she . . .

Okay, he had to smooth this over. He was trying to make friends with her, not make her angry at him.

He took a breath in slowly and let it out.

"I suppose I should apologize." He said simply.

She raised an eyebrow and her nose scrunched up in a manner that Dick would have considered cute under different circumstances.

"Why? Didn't you mean what you said?" Barbara asked him calmly.

Dick gave pause before answering.

Did he?

He wasn't really sure. He guessed he kind of did. But he was really just quoting Bruce.

"I guess what I mean is that if I knew that you were listening I wouldn't have said it." He finally told her.

She seemed none happier.

"But if you believe what you said you should at least have the courage to back it up." She argued.

Dick felt that he couldn't win. He opened his mouth to try again.

"Okay, so maybe I really wasn't thinking when I said . . ."

"Well, I agree with that." She said breaking in. "You should really think before just saying whatever comes into your head, especially if you don't believe it."

Dick pressed his lips together. This wasn't going anywhere.

"Let's agree to change the subject." He said abruptly.

"For now." She said still glaring at him.

Dick looked around trying to avoid her gaze. He tried to think of something safe to talk about.

"You certainly made Alfred happy." He finally said attempting an even tone. "He was very happy to show somebody the house."

His approach appeared to work as Barbara's eyes seem to grow warmer. Looking down, she played with her bracelet again.

"He was acting like a kid in a candy store." He added. She smiled but he got the feeling that it wasn't intended for him.

"_I _was like a kid in a candy store. It's beautiful. The place practically breathes. . ." She spoke in almost a reverent tone. Like a voice that you would use in a church.

Dick fought down his raised eyebrow. She was kind of . . . strange.

"So you liked our home?" He managed a guess. She looked at him sharply.

"It's not a home." She stated it like it was a fact. This time, Dick didn't fight his rising eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" He chose to go the polite route.

"A home, it's not really one." She said it again. Slower this time.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked now confused. "It has a roof, a front door, walls, carpeting. . ."

"That's not what makes a home though." Barbara said with conviction. "Home is where you track mud across the floor that makes your mother mad at you. Home is

where there are stains on the carpet; where there are hand-prints on the walls; where . . . you have an ugly couch that your grandma forced upon you. It's where . .

. 'where we love is home-home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.'" She quoted.

A blank expression crossed Dick's face.

"That's Oliver Wendell Homes." She explained assuming that he didn't know.

He didn't.

"What does that prove?" He asked her, now starting to get annoyed.

"It's what this building lacks—heart."

Her statement came out cold to Dick's ears and cut to his heart.

He tried to think of something to say, some sort of argument to fight back with. Nothing came.

How dare she just come in here and say that? Even if it _might _be true, she shouldn't . . .

"How . . . how can you say that?" He finally managed to spit out.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Because it's true. I could feel it." She said the last part softly, almost sadly.

"Feel it?" Dick said, less angry and know more amused. "What are you? The house whisperer?"

They both stood there. She was glaring at him. He tried to return the expression, but ended up with a slight grin instead.

Which is how Alfred found them.

"Is everything alright?" His tone was cheerful, but he shot Dick a look of concern.

For the first time, Dick got to see a genuine smile cross Barbara's face as she turned to Alfred.

"Of course, do you happen to know where my dad is?"

"I believe so, would you like me to take you to him? I could show you the grandfather clock on the way. It came over from France . . ."

Barbara graciously accepted Alfred's arm as he led her off. Alfred was still talking happily as they left Dick's sight.

Dick looked around the room at all the various people in conversation.

Now he was starting to feel left out.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Whoa! Stuffed happened!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hello!

**Let's See Here:**

**FFP****: **I kind of like having them bicker . . . sorry Dick . . .

**NoLongerHidden****: **Took me long enough right? :)

**Saphire122****: **Ah, the trouble we get ourselves into when we open our mouths . . .

**Laura: **Aww. :) Thanks. Glad you are reading!

**Daxo****: **All your questions will be answered! Glad you find my plot interesting and not confusing which was my fear. No we will not be seeing the team for the simple fact that I cannot write that many characters. Trust me you would not want me to try. I envy people who can write all of them, but I do not have that skill.

**Disclaimer: **It's the week of my birthday, so if you have the rights to Batman lying around . . .

* * *

Chapter 5: First Impressions, First Day

"You tired, Barb?"

Gordon's voice broke the silence that had filled their car as they drove back home. Barbara turned her head around to stare at him.

"Yea, a bit." She conceded. To be honest, she had a touch of a headache. Her mind was just too full.

"I think I'm too." He told her. "We just had too much fun, you know?" He said jokingly.

Barbara said nothing.

"Went better than expected. At least I think so. Everyone seemed very nice." He gave a quick glance at his daughter as he waited for a response. He looked back at

the road and waited a few seconds.

"Barb? Are you still with me?" He asked again.

She slowly ran her hand through her hair.

"Yea, just foggy-headed I guess."

"A lot to take in huh? Observation overload." He said understandingly. "I am right there with you. Care to discuss our initial impressions?"

Barbara sat up and took a deep breath.

"You can go first."

"Very gracious." He agreed. "Well, I think we both can agree that Alfred is maybe the nicest person on the planet."

At this Barbara cracked a grin.

"He was so sweet." She commented.

"He was telling me about showing you the house. It's quite a home isn't it?" He said.

Barbara took in a breath.

"It's not really a home Dad, not in the real sense. It felt so cold."

"You know how older houses are Barb, especially a large one like that."

"That not what I mean." Barbara shook her head. "It doesn't seem to have life. It's more like a monument to an interior decorating magazine on steroids than a

home."

Her father gave a smile.

"It was picture perfect wasn't it?" He said.

"You should have seen the garden!" Barbara broke in. "Cinderella could have rushed down those steps and I would not have been surprised. It was like something

out of a movie." She slumped back into the car seat happily.

"I'm sure Prince Charming would have appreciated the help finding her." Gordon said cheerfully.

Barbara shook her head and returned to look out the window.

"What did you think of Richard? You talked to him longer than I did."

Barbara set her jaw. She didn't want to broach this subject. His words kept floating in her head. Usually, she could just brush stuff off, but this, this was grinding on

her nerves.

"Barbara?" This time her father's voice was concerned.

"Oh, uh . . ." She tried to think of something nice to say.

"I thought he seemed nice."

"I didn't like him."

Both the Gordons talked at once and then paused to stare at each other.

"You didn't like him?" Her father asked with confusion. "Why not?"

Barbara bit her lip. She wasn't going to tell her father what Richard said.

"Just something. I'm not quite sure what." She lied.

Her father seemed to think this over.

"Woman's intuition huh? It isn't often that we disagree on a first impression." He said.

"Well like you said, I talked to him longer than you did."

Their car became quiet again.

"Well, I guess we will both have to see. I guess one of us is wrong." Gordon finally told his daughter.

Barbara gave a small snort. _She _knew which one of them was right.

* * *

Dick rolled out of bed reluctantly that Sunday morning. So the "get to know the Gordons" plan had been a flop—at least on his end. Not that any of _them _knew that

though.

He went down to breakfast and surprising found Bruce still there.

"Morning." He greeted the newspaper behind which Bruce sat—at least he was assuming it was Bruce.

"What did you think?" Bruce asked abruptly without laying the newspaper down.

That was Bruce, right to business.

"Well, I . . ." Dick started to answer.

"Can I say something?" Alfred said as he came into the room. Dick could almost sense excitement in his voice.

Alfred apparently warranted Bruce's attention since he laid down the paper.

"Alright." Bruce said simply. Dick grinned as he waited for Alfred to talk.

Alfred handed Dick his breakfast and cleared his throat.

"I would like to say, that although I know that you will tell me more observation is needed, is that I genuinely like them."

"Tell him about the mustache." Dick said, still in the middle of chewing.

Bruce raised an eyebrow as Alfred glared at the younger man.

"As I was saying." Alfred said pointedly. Dick smiled and continued eating.

"I feel amazing well about this whole thing." He finished up by saying.

"Not that _our _opinion matters that much." Dick said glancing over at Bruce.

Bruce chose not to acknowledge the jab.

"Noted." He replied with an air of finality. He turned to address Dick.

"What did you gather about Gordon's daughter?"

Dick swallowed a bit harder than necessary. Alfred, who would have usually left by now, stayed behind to hear his answer.

"Well, uh." Dick stopped to scratch his nose. "She seems to be intelligent, observant, loyal, um, definitely opinionated, and I think she hates me."

Alfred almost dropped the cup of coffee that he was refilling. Even Bruce looked a little confused.

Not that the expression stayed on his face for more than two seconds. A different expression quickly replaced it.

A very slight smile.

Everyone liked Dick—well practically everyone. The thought that someone—especially a girl—didn't immediately like him was . . .

"Hate is a very strong word." Alfred pointed out. "What did you do?"

"Who says I did anything?" Dick argued back, even though Alfred was close to the truth.

"Well, as amusing as this is development is, we need to focus on our purpose." Bruce said. Dick slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Who they are will guide our next move, so it is in the interest of us all that we get the correct picture of their character. Case in point." Bruce said standing up. "Get

her to like you." He ordered before leaving the room.

"Let Alfred do it." Dick yelled from his chair. "She likes him."

* * *

Barbara slapped her alarm off and slowly opened her eyes. It was Monday and as much as she wanted to stay in bed, it was time to start the school year.

She quickly got out of bed and took a shower.

She had already packed her school bag yesterday but she tripled checked that she had her notebooks, pencils, map of the school . . .

"Morning Barb." He father greeted her.

"Hey." She said accepting the mug of coffee her offered her.

"All ready? It seems like yesterday that I was dropping you off at school every day and now look at you."

She smiled at his words.

"I'll be fine. The bus is perfect and easier quite frankly." She told him.

Her father smiled and watched as she continued to rummage in her bag.

"You have everything that you need? Calculator? Extra sheets of paper? Your phone?" Her father rattled off a list.

Barbara smile as she stared up at him.

"Yes Dad, thanks. I think I'm good." She stood up and lifted her bag off the floor.

He watched her go to the front door and grabbed her sweater out of the closet.

"I would say something, but I might start tearing up." He admitted to her. She stopped and looked over at him.

"Dad . . ." She came over and gave him a hug. "I will be back by dinner time so don't worry about making anything okay? It's going to be a great day." She said

with some excitement.

He nodded.

"It's going to be a great day." He repeated back to her.

She hoped that it was going to be true.

* * *

"And so it begins." Dick said glumly taking a seat on the barstool. Alfred raised an eyebrow at his over-dramatic entrance.

"Well you will be happy to know that I did not forget to make cookies for you to bring with you today." Alfred announced.

Dick rested his chin on his hand as he leaned forward on the counter.

"You know? Most of the time I resent being treated like I'm still ten, but you know what? For cookies I will overlook it."

Alfred quirked a smile.

"Well, I have been doing it practically that long—every first day of the school year." The butler reminded him. "Are you going to try and talk to Miss Gordon? I'm very

surprised that you think that she doesn't like you."

"Just something I picked up on." Dick replied with a shrug.

"It's just so hard to believe. I thought she was absolutely charming." Alfred said pausing as he wiped the counter.

"Must be just me then." Dick said simply.

"But you're a very nice person too. I would have thought it would have gone better." Alfred mused.

"_Yea, maybe if I didn't open my fat mouth." _Dick thought to himself. Clearing his throat, he stood up.

"Well, I better get going."

"Did you tell Master Bruce that you were leaving?" Alfred asked him.

Dick stared blankly at him.

"Does he care?"

Receiving a withering look from Alfred, Dick went over and pressed a button located under the cupboard.

"Hey Bruce? I'm going." He waited for a response.

"Very well." Came back the short reply. Dick threw his hands up and walked out.

Alfred shook his head as he watched the boy leave.

* * *

"You can do this. You can do this." Barbara chanted under her breath as she neared the large building. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the large glass door

and plunged into the sea of humanity that filled the halls.

Everyone was walking everywhere. She was glad that she at least knew the school's basic layout. She found her first classroom fairly quickly since it was on the first

level. Choosing a seat, she sat down and started pulling out her books. Now she felt in her element.

That lasted till her fourth class of the day. She had nine minutes to get to her classroom and she couldn't find it.

Exasperated, she pulled out of the mad rush of students and opened up her book bag to grab out the school's map.

It wasn't there.

"No, please, no." Barbara whispered. She re-checked. It was nowhere. She looked around. She would just have to ask someone. If anyone would slow down for five

seconds.

"Lose something?" A voice from behind her asked. She turned around to respond, but quickly changed gears when she saw who it was.

"No." She said immediately to Richard Wayne's face. The tone she used indicated that it was the most ridiculous thing that he could have suggested and she resented

him for asking it.

She almost didn't recognize him at first. Out of his tux and without his hair slicked back he looked like an ordinary person. A really, really, rude, ordinary person.

"Oh." He said simply. But the look on his face told her that he wasn't buying it. He spoke again. "On your way somewhere?"

"Yea, just coming from the library." She answered shortly, hoping that the conversation would end there. She started to walk away.

"Hey, that's where I remember seeing you. The public library. Was it Monday or . . ." He paused as she froze.

She turned around and walked back. "Why were you there?" She asked almost demandingly.

"To get a _book_." He said. She could tell he was amused again. His smile grated on her. "Alfred wanted something." He explained further.

"I knew it."

"What?" He looked confused.

"That you weren't there for your own personal advancement." She said.

Instead of looking insulted, his grin only got bigger.

"My what?" He asked as his blue eyes boar into hers.

"Never mind." She said and she turned and walked away. He was still grinning.

She walked further down the hall deciding that she would try and ask the first nice looking person she saw.

But before she could ask anyone she was approached by a lady.

"Can I help you somehow honey?" Barbara smiled at the women.

"Yea, if you wouldn't mind. Room 241? I thought it was on this level." Barbara explained.

The lady smiled.

"It sure is dear. You just have to go down further. It's tucked away in the corner for whatever reason."

"Thanks. Do you teach here?" She asked.

The lady cracked a grin and gave out a great laugh that caught the attention of every student walking past. Despite her small embarrassment, Barbara had to smile.

"Oh, no dear. I'm just a fellow student. I'm Kelly Chambers." The lady pronounced it Ch 'awe' mbers.

"Nice to meet you." Barbara said taking the hand that was offered.

"Sorry about the laughter. It's hereditary." She said jokingly. Barbara had to grin as the lady continued.

"Yep I'm just your average student, only not. I'm thirty-seven, have three kids, and a mortgage." She laughed again this time a little more under control.

Barbara smiled at the short brown haired lady.

"Oh, boy I am going to make you late aren't I?" She said suddenly aware of the time.

"It's okay." Barbara said glancing at her watch. She still had three minutes. "So you're back to school?" She asked.

"Yep, back to school. I'm going to be a nurse. Well, I'm going to try to be. To be honest, I took a look at the back of the textbook and almost past out from all those

terms. My memory is not what it used to be."

"Well, maybe I could help you with that." Barbara suggested. "I have a pretty good head for stuff like that. Maybe I could help you study."

"Oh, honey, I'm sure that you have tons to do yourself."

"No, ah, maybe we can catch up . . . later." Barbara suggested. "In the cafeteria maybe? I have two classes to go."

"Sure. Here give let me give you my cell phone number." She scribbled it out on a scrap of paper and Barbara took it from her.

"Sure. I'll see you later Mrs. Chambers." Barbara said being careful to say the last name correctly.

"Call me Kelly. It makes me feel younger." And with a wave of her hand, Barbara's animated new friend walked away. "Have a good day dear!" She called out.

Barbara paused. That seemed like something that her mother would say, and to a girl who had been motherless for a few years, it was a nice thing to hear. She

rushed to her class.

* * *

By the time Barbara reached her last class, she was pretty tried and she was pretty certain that her hair was messy, but she wasn't going to stop now to fix it. She

had one more class to go and then she was home free.

She had a better time finding this room and stopped outside the door to catch her breath. She noticed a guy walking up quickly to the door so she stepped aside to

let him through but he stopped right next to her.

"Hey are you in this class?" He asked.

"Uh, yea." Barbara answered uncertainly.

"Cool, can you give this to Dick Grayson for me?" He thrust an envelope into her hand.

"Wait I don't . . ." She protested.

"Thanks!" He called out as he rushed away. She stared down at the envelope in her hand.

"I have no idea who that is. There is probably a ton of guys in there." She moaned. She turned the envelope in her hand as she bit her lip.

"I would ask you if there was a problem, but you might bite my head off."

Barbara looked up irritated and slowly turned around.

There was that smirk.

"Can I help you?" She was getting tired of seeing his face.

"Well, you are blocking the door for me to get in." Richard said pointing.

Barbara looked up to the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she was going to be stuck in a room with him.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She put a hand to her forehead.

"Yea just ah, some guy gave me envelope and told me to give it to some guy that's in this class." Why was she telling him all this?

"Who?"

"Oh, ah, Dick Grayson." She read off the envelope's back. "Any chance you know who that is?" She asked him. He brought a hand up to his chin and seemed to

consider it.

"You know, I just might. If not, I bet I can find out." He held out his hand and she slowly handed him the envelope.

"Thanks." She said honestly.

"Sure." He gave her a grin and entered the room. For once, his grin didn't irritate her.

She entered the room quickly seconds before the professor did.

The older man walked into the room and quickly scanned around the room.

He spoke in a gruff voice.

"Well there are supposed to be thirty-eight of you and there are thirty-eight of you in here, so I will assume that everyone is present and dispense with roll call so

that we can focus on the matters at hand."

The class seemed like it was going to be interesting, but on the downside Richard Wayne had taken a seat right behind her.

* * *

By the time she reached the cafeteria, Barbara's head was exploding from information. Looking around the crowded room, there seemed to be a million people

talking, eating, listing to music, trying to study. She finally spotted Kelly coming up from the side.

"Hey girl, thanks for giving me a call." She set her stuff on the floor.

"No problem." Barbara told her.

"How was your day?"

"Ah, my head feels cramped. First day kind of stuff." Barbara said.

Kelly nodded. "I'm expecting a lot more of that." She warned her.

Barbara had to smile.

"So you are going back to school to become a nurse; that is so cool. Inspiring really."

"Well I don't know about that. Just a dream kind of. We'll see. I thought it was a bit late for something like it but my husband told me to go for it. My youngest

daughter thinks it's kind of strange that her mother is going back to school, but she's at the age where most kids want to escape it."

"How old are they?" Barbara asked.

"Oh, now you've done it. I have tons of pictures . . ." Kelly said with pride.

* * *

Dick was feet away from stepping out into the parking lot when someone called his name. Pausing, he turned around and saw Barbara Gordon walking towards him.

Her red hair was kind of going every which way but he knew better than to mention it.

She came to a stop feet in front of him as he stood by one of the flag poles.

"I came to see if you found that guy." She said shortly.

"Oh, yea. Yes I did." He nodded.

He gave her a smile.

She hadn't figured it out yet.

"Good." She gave a nod and started to walk away.

"How was your day?" He called out after her. She paused and seem to be reluctant to turn around.

"Fine." She called over her shoulder.

"Barbara!" He called out to her walking over to catch up. She turned around. Her nose scrunched up.

He had decided it did that when she was irritated.

"Yes?" She asked him in an even tone.

"You never did accept my apology." He told her.

"You never said that you were sorry."

"Yes I did, I said the word 'apologize.'"

"You didn't mean it sincerely." She said crossing her arms.

"Yes I was." He argued.

"You only meant that you were sorry that I heard it, not that you said it." She stated.

Dick opened his mouth and then shut it. There was no way he was winning her over.

"You can turn around anything that I say can't you?" He asked her.

"You make it easy." She said back tauntingly.

"Do you have to act like you have a personal vendetta against me?"

"Oh I don't know, guy-who-insulted-my-father, do I?" She said ending their conversation. She walked towards the bus stop and didn't look back.

At this point, Dick didn't know what to think.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **My O/C Kelly is an homage to a friend of mine who, when she laughs, the whole world knows

about it and depending on the situation you are either embarrassed or too busy laughing with her, to notice all the

people staring at you.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone reading this slight odd little story of mine (that is not so little). I hope to keep you entertained.

**Let's See Here . . .**

**SkyMyst: ** Thanks a bunch! And to your comment, I guess I was thinking more face structure-wise. (Is that a

word?) Of _course_ Dick is gorgeous! :}

**Guest: **I guess my thinking at the moment is that she _is _being judgmental and unfair to him due to what he said. She

is acting out of character due to her anger. His personality grates on her at the moment. Am I overdoing it? Maybe . . . But one of the plots of this story is her

learning to get over it. Grudges are hard to get over sometimes.

**jdcocoagirl****: **I'm glad you find it interesting and not confusing . . . although I guess there is still time for that. :)

**Laura: **You being happy makes me happy—thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I see that no one has yet to give me the rights to Batman yet . . . maybe next year.

* * *

Chapter 6: Close Encounters, Intended Meetings

It had been a long week as Jim Gordon finished putting various papers away in the file folder and shoved it into the drawer. He leaned back tiredly in his chair and

stared out into the main room of police headquarters. It was almost time to head home, but little things kept popping up that required him to stay. He glanced around

the office. It really needed a major reorganizing, but he had not yet worked up the motivation to start the large project. At the moment, there were definitely more

important things to do.

He paused and turned around in his seat to look out the large window that was behind his desk.

There was that feeling again.

At first, he thought he was just unsettled in the new space and hadn't become used to the sights and sounds of the new office. But after a few days, he no longer felt

that it was just his imagination.

He stood up and pulled apart the blinds and looked down onto the streets below.

The streets were getting dark as the sun started to set. People scattered the sidewalk as they rushed to get home for the night.

Gordon glanced at his watch. Barbara should be home by now. He had meant to give her a call and tell her that he was running late, but he was still hoping to get

out the door soon.

He shut the blinds, and went out his door.

"Walter?" He asked approaching the officer's desk.

"Yes sir? I didn't realize that you were still here." He told him as he stood up.

Gordon gave a thin smile.

"You're not going to be able to get rid of me sometimes." He said. "I have an odd question. Where is the door to the roof? We have one don't we?"

"Ah, yes sir. The emergency roof exit. The door is up one more floor and past the janitor's closet. I don't think anyone but the maintenance people use it though. It

might even be locked." The man told him.

"It's not an emergency, so don't rush, but could you see if you could find me the key?" Gordon asked him.

The man looked confused.

"I guess so." He answered giving a slight shrug.

"Thanks." Gordon said heading back to his office.

Ten minutes later, Walter knocked on the office door. Gordon waved him in.

"Got the key for you sir. The janitor says that it's the spare so you can keep it if you want to otherwise you can just give it back to him sometime."

Gordon took it from his hand.

"Thanks Walter, I appreciate it. I'll probably be heading out soon just so you know."

The officer nodded. "Have a good night then sir." He headed out.

Gordon stood up and grabbed his briefcase. Taking his coat off the back of his chair, he headed out and wished everyone a goodnight.

When he got the elevator, his finger hovered over the buttons and instead of pressing the down arrow, he pressed the up arrow.

The doors opened to the empty maintenance level. There were a few more offices up there, but not too many.

Walking past the janitor's closet he reached the heavy brown door. Trying the handle he found it locked. Pulling out the key, he opened the door. It creaked open.

Gordon looked up into the stairwell and started climbing.

Once at the top, he opened the door that led out onto the roof. Cold air rushed past him.

He walked out slowly and looked around.

Various electrical boxes and vents lay across the roof. He walked over to the edge and rested his hands on ledge. It was a long way down. He could see the window

to his office. He looked across to the post office across the street. It wasn't as tall as the police building.

He turned around and took in the view. It was pretty impressive. All the other tall corporation buildings dwarfed the one on which he stood. They almost created a

forest of steel in the sky.

He shook his head and headed back to the stairwell. He paused.

That feeling was back.

He slowly turned around.

There was nothing. Not even a pigeon.

He ran a hand over his chin. Looking around once more, he realized something.

There were no cameras on the roof.

"That seems odd." He muttered. Looking over his shoulder once more, he slowly headed back down the stairs.

* * *

Barbara sat at the dinner table already working on a paper. She stared over at the stove wondering how long she could keep it set on warm and not dry out the

chicken. She looked up at the clock and thought about calling up her dad when she heard the keys in the door.

"Barb? I'm home." He called out as he finished coming through the door.

She stood up and poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Hey, the food's still warm. Hopefully." She added on biting her lip. He father gave a smile.

"Ehh, it's alright. It's my fault anyway. You could have eaten some though." He told her as he sat down.

She shrugged.

"It's fine. I had some work to do anyway." She said pulling the food out of the oven. She sat back down in her seat placing the dish between them.

"Looks good." Her father complimented her.

An hour later, both Gordon and his daughter were beginning to wash the dishes.

"So how was your week of school overall?" Gordon asked her. Barbara took the plate that her father handed her carefully.

"Oh, ah . . . long, interesting, I guess. I'll be fine." She said brushing the question off.

He father nodded as he rinsed off a mug.

"So have you still been helping, ah that nursing student?"

Barbara had to smile.

"Yea, Kelly. She's so funny. She's like everyone's mother. She keeps so busy though. I'm glad I can help by helping her study. She's got three kids and her husband

is a construction worker, so everyone at their house is usually running around. Makes my life seem easy." She said setting the plate down.

Her father sighed.

"But your classes are okay?" He asked again fishing for a real answer.

"Yea. Really. It's exciting. I mean it's hard, but . . . it's . . . fun . . . it's . . ."

"We Gordons always did love a challenge." He told her.

"Yea, I guess we do." Barbara said with a smile. "We're persistent people."

They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"How was your day?" She asked him.

"Good." He answered after a minute. Then he stared out the window.

Barbara got the feeling that there was more, but decided not to press it at the moment.

Her father cleared his throat.

"Well, anyway . . . how is uh, have you seen much of Richard?" His mind finally settled on a question.

It was the last question that Barbara wanted to be asked. She brushed some hair out of her face and attempted a polite answer.

"Oh, ah, yea, not much though."

"I thought you two had a class together."

Barbara sighed.

"Yes, well, it's a large class. Besides, I still find him . . . annoying." As she finished speaking she waited for her father's response. It came swiftly.

"And that is . . . why again?" He asked.

"It's a long story." She muttered. "But lately, he has been humming during the entire class." She said with irritation.

"Humming?" Her father repeated.

She folded up her towel as she spoke.

"Yes. Some sort of weird broken tune. It's not any song I've ever heard, it's like he's just picking random notes on the scale! It's been driving me nuts!" She slapped

down towel down on the counter.

Her father smiled and shook his head. His daughter could be a force when she was irritated.

* * *

Dick stretched out on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Last night's adventures of Batman and Robin had taken a lot out of him. He had a lot of catching up to

do on school work and he had to try to do it all during this weekend.

Unfortunately as soon as he got up that morning, he wanted to nothing but lay back down. So he did.

"Master Dick? I think you would be more comfortable back in your bed if you are just going to sleep." Alfred's voice broke through the silence of the afternoon. Dick

shifted his head to look at the butler.

"Yea, I know, but I do really need to get some school stuff done. I made it this far and then stopped." Dick motioned to the floor where various books lay scattered.

Alfred gave him a sympathetic look.

"Ehh, I'll get it done." Dick said with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry."

"I was holding off asking." Alfred began. "How your week was."

Dick quirked a smile.

"Longer than others I guess. I have to try to remember how I balance everything again." He said finally sitting up and yawning.

"How has it been going with Miss Gordon?"

Dick paused. He had been awaiting the question. He let out a groan.

"Um, Alfred . . ." Dick began running his hand through his hair. "It's not going well."

Alfred's face fell.

"I don't see how that is possible." Alfred said slowly.

Dick leaned back against the couch.

Barbara Gordon was putting up every roadblock known to man. Every time he tried to say something or even say hello, she acted like it was the most infuriating

thing he could have possibly done.

Man, she could hold a grudge.

Even when she saw him coming, her eyes would narrow and as soon as he started talking her nose would scrunch up like she was preparing to do battle.

A smile crossed his face.

He was almost willing to admit that he was having fun watching her reaction to him.

"Master Dick?"

Dick looked back to Alfred.

"Oh, ah, yea, I'm trying, but I don't think that it's doing any good."

Alfred frowned.

"I don't think that Master Bruce will be happy to hear that."

"Well, then _he _can try. Besides, all he has done so far is to watch Gordon in his office. Did he tell you?" Dick said. "Yesterday, Gordon kept turning around in his chair

like he knew that he was being watched. And then actually got up out of his office and went to the roof to look around. I told Bruce that I thought it was a record for

a commissioner to pick up on it, but he just grumbled. I think that he's losing his touch." Dick whispered with a wink.

Alfred shook his head.

"Well, Master Dick. I wish you luck. I wouldn't have guessed that it would have been so hard to be friendly with her. What on earth are you doing?" He questioned.

"Who says it's my fault?" Dick argued back once again.

* * *

Barbara Gordon had just emerged from class Monday and headed out into the rainy afternoon. Thankful that she had brought an umbrella, she quickly opened it up

and watched the rain hit the pavement. Regardless of the rain, she was happy to be free.

Kelly had to do something at home, so they didn't have to study together. Barbara was happy for the extra time.

She looked out into the parking lot as the rain came down a bit lighter.

She watched her feet as she walked over puddles. Watching as bits of leaves followed the small streams off the pavement and down the gutter.

Forgetting to look where she was going she bumped into some one.

"Oh, sorry!" She looked up apologetically. An expression that soon fell from her face.

"It's fine." He replied.

She stared at him for a second before asking.

"Why are you out in the rain?" She was pretty certain that like her, he was out of school for the day, and he didn't have to wait for the bus.

Richard smiled.

"It's just water." He said shrugging.

"Okay . . ." She said shortly.

He looked like he was almost soaked through. His hair was stuck flat down on his head.

There they stood then in the rain.

"Okay, well I have a bus to catch and I'm sure that you don't want to stand around." She said finally thinking of something to say. He didn't say anything, but he

dipped his head and started to walk away.

"Hey! Grayson!" A voice called out.

Both of them turned around.

A guy with a book over his head for shelter ran over to Richard and started talking to him.

* * *

Dick could see it immediately.

Those blue eyes of hers narrowed and her nose scrunched up.

As soon as the guy left, Dick looked over at her as she stood there in the rain.

He decided to go for it.

"Hello." He said with a smile.

He could see that she was confused, and believe it or not, irritated. She knew he had been playing with her.

He could see her mind spinning. She wanted to ask, but she was trying to decide whether or not to ask it. She bit her lip and took a few steps towards him.

He waited for her to ask it. She didn't.

"It's complicated." He said after realizing that she wasn't going to say something.

"Explain."

Her short answer came quickly in a tone of voice that a mother would use when confronting a disobedient child.

"Well, it's . . . let's just say I was adopted. It's easier to explain it that way."

There was genuine surprise on her face. She opened her mouth, but then shut it.

Dick congratulated himself. He had finally found a situation that she couldn't fire back on.

"You could have said something." She finally said.

Dick gave a shrug.

"Well, that would be no fun." He said simply. He waited for her response.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

There stared at each other for one more minute—he in the rain and she under the umbrella. He decided that he would take the lead and walk away.

* * *

"Seriously Alfred, she's kind of . . . weird."

Alfred looked up from the pot of stew he was stirring to stare at the boy.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Dick played with the orange in his hands.

"Well, first when she was here, she was going on about . . . well . . ." He went silent.

"Alfred, would consider this place a home?"

The question was out of the blue, but Alfred didn't let it faze him.

"You mean a 'home' as in a building or do you mean it in a more romantic sense of the word?" He asked.

"Ah, the second one I guess." Dick said now feeling silly having asked the question.

Alfred paused and then put down the wooden spoon.

"This place was very much alive in the olden days, but as you know . . ." Alfred trailed off. He stared back down into the stew. He looked up abruptly as if being

snapped out of dream. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, never mind, anyway, Barbara was out in front of the school today. It was raining as you know." Dick said.

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did notice the puddles that you left when you came in today." Alfred said dryly.

Dick grimaced.

"Well, anyway. She got out of school and then was walking around with her umbrella in the rain. She just stood there and watched the rain fall."

"Oh, really? Where were you?" Alfred asked looking at Dick out of the corner of his eye.

"Out in the rain, obviously." Dick said. He watched as Alfred gave an odd smile into the pot.

Dick's eyes grew wide and his face felt hot.

"I mean, I was outside heading towards the parking lot and I saw her. It wasn't like I was intentionally watching her." He said quickly before Alfred could form any

ideas. "She still doesn't like me." He clarified. "In fact." He started saying with a chuckle.

"Master Dick, why am I of the impression that you are having fun with that fact." Alfred said sternly.

Dick looked sheepish.

"Well . . ."

"You are intentionally bugging her!" Alfred accused now pointing the spoon at him.

"I'm trying not to, honest!" He argued.

Alfred gave him a look that said he didn't believe him.

Dick had to smile. Sometimes, she made it so easy to rile her up.

* * *

Barbara had just finished her last class of the day and headed towards the cafeteria. She plopped down at the table that quickly was becoming her and Kelly's spot

to study.

Unloading her books she, sat down heavily. She took a glance out the window. People strolled past the window staring back on occasion. To be honest, everyone just

looked drained, but that was the school life for you.

She heard the chair across from her being pulled out.

"Hey Kelly, sorry about the . . ." She paused in mid-sentence to take the person now sitting across from her.

"So question." He began.

She didn't let him say another word.

"Leave." She shot out.

Richard gave her a grin.

"That's rude." He told her.

Her eyes flared.

"_You_ cannot lecture _me_ on being rude!" She fumed trying not to raise her voice too loudly. "Now get up that's Kelly's seat."

"I'll get up when she comes." He said calmly.

"Are you trying to be the most annoying person in the world?" She said exasperatedly.

"Is that award still available?" He asked interestedly.

"I'll have to see." She retorted. She ran a hand through her hair. "Why do you insist on bugging me?" She lamented.

He smiled and rested his arms against the table.

"I guess because you're the only girl I've met who fights back." He answered playfully.

"Well then find another girl." She shot back.

She then slammed her book shut, grabbed the books off the table, and walked several rows over to a different table.

"He is so annoying." She said fiercely under her breath as she set down her books again.

She brushed her hair back out of her face and she sat down.

A few minutes later, Kelly finally showed up.

"Barbara, you're confusing me girl. Why aren't you at our table?"

Barbara looked over and gave a genuine smile at her new friend.

Kelly had once told her that some of her family was Southern and occasionally Barbara thought she could hear a bit coming through. She crossed her arms before

she answered.

"Yea, someone was at our table."

Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"There was no one when I looked. Besides it's always empty when we get there."

"Oh, good. He left then." Barbara said with satisfaction.

"Who's that?" Kelly said as she sat down.

"Richard Grayson." Barbara finally said with disgust.

Kelly leaned back in her chair and pulled out her laptop.

"Really?" She said with interest. "What did he want?"

"To bug me." Barbara said with frustration. "It seems to be his life purpose at the moment."

"Yea? Well, let me tell you hon, any other girl in this school would probably trade places with you in a heartbeat."

Barbara snorted.

"They can have him."

Kelly shook her head with amusement.

"You are so funny Barbara Gordon."

Barbara looked up from her book not looking amused at all.

"Always so busy, that anything else seems like a rude interruption in your schedule –even flirting boys."

A look of horror crossed Barbara's face as her head snapped up.

"He is _not _flirting with me!" She objected more loudly than she realized. "He is annoying me to death and he knows that I can't stand him."

"Why is that?" Kelly asked suddenly.

Barbara went quiet.

"Just something when I first met him. It's not a big deal." She replied trying to brush it off.

"It must be if you are still holding it against him." Kelly countered.

"Let's just study okay?" Barbara said effectively ending the conversation.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Not much to add here except a little rant about the end of Young Justice. It was really cool to have _that _many characters running around and I

definitely am going to miss it etc., etc. I guess just to comment on the last episode, was just kind of odd that Wally would be the one to die, seemed kind of . . .

random. I am not against killing people (as long as they aren't my two favorites obviously :}) because I feel that it keeps things in a 'real' light of the cost of being a

super hero. To be honest, after it happened I was like, "this is just one of those moments to scare you and then everything is going to be okay" and then it wasn't.

So I forgot myself and was like "okay they can just find Wally wherever in the next episode . . . HOLY COW this is the last one! WHAT?"

Not that I was in complete tears, but I did sniffle a little for Artemis. It was the show's one really thorough love story and it's gone. :( I wished there had been a little

more mourning for him. It seemed like the only ones who were truly upset by it was her and Dick—maybe that is just me.

So overall is was cool and of course there always has to be an "it's not over" ending. (Ominous music)

Tell me what your thought the last episode. Loved to hear, well, _read _it. See ya soon.

* * *

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Gloomy kind of day. Let's keep rolling along. . .

**Let's See Here:**

**speedreader1999****: **Awesome, thanks!

**Mattchew Inheritance****: **Yea maybe. : / Thanks.

**SkyMyst: **I guess the good thing about TV/comics etc. is that no one truly dies—you can always bring them back if you want to. Glad you're reading!

**jdcocoagirl****: **That's what I'm trying for . . .

**Laura: **I'm sooooooo happy! Here ya go!

**Disclaimer: **I am not lucky enough to own Batman—however, I do accept donations. . .

* * *

Chapter 7: The Watermelon and New Discoveries

It was silly really; she should not have bought it.

But it was really tempting. They were the last watermelons of the season.

Barbara had gone into town to buy a few groceries and had ended up buying a watermelon.

Which was proving to be a burden.

Add to that the fact that she missed the bus, and the problems were just beginning.

She decided that the best thing to do was to catch the next bus stop instead of waiting around. She had a vague idea where it was.

She started walking down various roads, and soon realized that she realized that she didn't know where she was. She didn't think that she was in the best part of

town either. She felt ridiculous carrying the watermelon.

"Where is that bus stop?" She muttered.

This was bad.

She looked down a street that was lined with store fronts. Maybe she should just ask someone.

But no one look particularly friendly.

Barbara finally settled on going into the laundry mat. The windows of the store were clean and unbroken. The inside looked respectable and organized.

Barbara took this to assume that the owners at least cared enough how their store looked and hopefully would be nice enough to help.

Changing her grip on the watermelon, she headed towards the store.

A commotion down further on the street caught her attention. She paused trying to figure out what was going on. There were people yelling stuff and what sounded

like—a gunshot. Several gunshots.

Barbara froze.

Screeching tire wheels could be heard.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind. Instinct kicked in as she tried to fight the guy off.

'Stop doing that and get down!" A familiar voice ordered.

Barbara looked up into his face.

"Richard?" She said with amazement. "What are you doin . . ."

"Stay down!" He ordered. He practically shoved her down against the outside wall of the storefront.

"What are . . ." She said seconds before a loud ran of gunshots rang out in succession.

He quickly got down in front of her and pulled her against him before she could react. He pressed her face in to his chest as the sound of gunshots and glass

breaking filled the air.

Though she was initially distrusting, she found herself leaning into him.

She could hear the sounds of a vehicle speeding past. There was more glass breaking and lots of yelling.

After another minute, she felt Richard lift his head from on top of hers. She tried to pull away from him.

"Hold on. Wait a second." He instructed. "Sometimes there is another one." He carefully stood up and looked down the street. The other side of the street had been

totally obliterated. The glass front windows of the stores had been all shot out.

Dick looked back down at her. She looked like she was angry at him. Surprise, surprise.

"Is that yours?" He asked pointing to the watermelon that lay haphazardly on the ground.

"Really? That's your first question?" She yelled now furious at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked figuring that that is what she wanted him to ask.

"What was that?" She asked looking down the street.

"Uh, a drive by shooting." He said stating the obvious. "Congratulations, you are now an official citizen of Gotham."

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"What are you doing in this part of town anyway?" He asked her.

"Why is it any of your business?" She snapped at him. She stood up and ran a hand through her hair and then she dusted off her jeans.

His blue eyes which had been hard turned softer.

"I'm sorry, I was just . . . worried." He admitted.

This seemed to surprise her. She looked across the street at the destruction.

"Does this happen often?" She asked quietly.

"Kind of." He replied.

"Where are you heading?" He asked her softly as police cars rushed past down the street.

"Home."

"Isn't that on the other side of town? Why on earth are you walking there?"

"I was going to catch the bus." She informed him. "I missed the one at my usual stop."

She bent over and picked up the watermelon.

"Well, the nearest one here is still a few blocks over." He mentioned. "Have you been carrying that watermelon the entire time? Here, hand it over. I'll walk you

there." He reached out his hands towards her.

She bit her lip and then handed it over. She wasn't going to admit it, but she was getting tired of carrying it. Her arms felt like rubber. She fixed the strap on her

book bag and slowly followed him down the street. She stared back at the chaos that had occurred. Was this really what living here was like?

They didn't talk much along the way. Her mind had too many questions.

Richard apparently didn't feel like talking surprisingly. A fact for which she was glad.

They arrived fairly quickly. The few other people at the bus stop were all chattering about the recent shooting. Barbara held out her hands to take back the fruit.

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

"I don't need you to wait with me." She assured him briskly.

He stood there still. Almost as if he wasn't sure if he should leave.

The look she gave him told him that he should. He gave her a nod and walked away.

"Richard." She called back to him.

He paused and turned around to face her.

She looked ridiculous standing there holding a watermelon in the midst of everyone else. He had to quirk a smile.

"Dick." He corrected her. "Richard always has been too big a name for me."

"What are _you _doing here?" She asked.

He gave her a smile and with a wink he said, "It's a secret."

As he walked away, he could feel her eyes boring into his back.

And although she must have thought that he left, he stood watching her making sure that she did indeed get on the bus.

Barbara sat back heavily into her seat as the bus pulled away.

She supposed that she should have been frightened or something, but she wasn't—she was remarkably calm. She wondered how on earth that he had gotten there.

She was scared to think of what would have happened if he hadn't of showed up—not that she wanted him to. She told herself.

She let her mind wander as the bus drove on. She found herself trying to get rid of two different thoughts.

One was how warm she felt pressed up against him; the other, how nice his cologne smelled.

Somehow in all the confusion, it made her feel safe.

Which was silly.

She sat up straighter in her chair.

She hoped that her father was going to have a better evening than hers. She probably shouldn't mention the incident today to him. It would only cause trouble. She

hoped that everyone was being nice and respectful to him. There had to be someone in this town that didn't automatically assume the worst about him and believe

that . . .

She unclenched her fists.

* * *

Jim Gordon gave his office another look over. He hesitated to call it clean, but it was definitely organized now. Walking over to his desk, he picked up the frame off

the table.

"See honey?" He said turning it around. "I can be neat when I want too."

His wife always joked that he was cleaner at work than at home. He supposed that was true. And home was where you could be yourself, so there it was.

His wife always was nice and didn't complain when he made a mess. She had been too good for him.

He looked back down at the picture.

Barbara was too.

That daughter of his was willing to do anything for him. He always had to make sure that she was happy as well and not just doing things for his benefit.

He glanced up at the clock. It was getting later every night, but he was rushing to try and get a handle on everything that was going on.

Thankfully, this time he had called Barbara to let her know that he was going to be late, very late this time.

But now it was time to go home. Grabbing a few things to take with him, he quickly packed up his suitcase. Another day was done.

He slowly walked out of his office and headed down the quiet halls. He said goodnight to the few who worked the night shift and went down to the elevator. He

slapped the down button and waited.

Hearing the squeaking of a cart he turned in time to see an old janitor going passed.

"All done Commissioner? I can't clean in your office until you are done." The old man said with a cracked smile.

"Oh, ah, sorry." Gordon said, feeling guilty. "Next time, just skip over me. Besides, I've been straightening a little each night so it's not too bad. Sorry to keep you

waiting."

The little old man gave a wave of his hand.

"It's no problem; don't worry about it. So how is it going?"

"Well, pretty good I guess. Just trying to weave my way through all this. Just trying to fit in and not get in anyone's way." He took a deep breath and stared up at the

numbers blinking as the elevator climbed.

The old man started pushing his cart again down the hall, but paused as he neared the end.

"You know Commissioner, don't worry too much about what people think about you. The only thing that really matters is what _he _thinks of you."

Gordon blinked.

"You mean the mayor?" He asked as the elevator door dinged and opened.

The old man seemed to give a chuckle.

"No," he shook his head. "_Him_, the Batman." He added as he continued on his way.

Gordon's eyes grew wide.

* * *

"Dad, you're home! Long day?" Barbara's cheerful voice greeted him as he came through the door.

"And night." Gordon confirmed as he took off his coat.

Barbara took it from him and hung it up on the rack.

"Well, I hope that you are still hungry because the spaghetti just got done." She said before dashing off into the kitchen.

"Barbara you know you can eat without me right?'

"It's no problem." She assured him.

Gordon walked into the kitchen and glanced at the table.

"Is that a watermelon?"

"Oh, yea." Barbara said turning around. "I picked it up after school. Last one of the season. It was no big deal." She added nonchalantly.

"It must have been a heavy thing to carry on the bus from town." He told her.

"It was no trouble." She told him as she turned back to the stovetop. "No trouble at all." She muttered.

"Well, how was your day? Is everyone being nice?" She asked in a happier tone.

He shrugged.

"For the most part it was good, although I felt a bit foolish. It took me forever to find conference room A2. Finally someone took pity on me."

Barbara leaned over and patted his hand.

"Well, if it makes you feel better. I tried to go in an 'out' door and smacked my face into the glass. I didn't think that Kelly would stop laughing. I'm pretty sure that

people three floors down heard her." Barbara said resting her chin on her hand.

"But good day overall?" He confirmed with her.

"Yea." She said shortly.

The incident in town ran through her head. But she was safe though, so there was no need to bring it up.

Her father twirled his fork around in the spaghetti until the noodles clung to his fork. He lifted it up and stared at it.

Barbara glanced across the small round table.

"Everything okay? Is something wrong with it?" Barbara asked with concern.

"Something . . . odd happened before I left tonight."

Barbara set down her fork and said nothing.

"Well, I ran into one of the janitors and I started talking to him and then he said something odd. Well, I was talking about trying to figure stuff out and he told me it

only mattered what _he _thought of me."

"He . . . who?" Barbara asked.

Her father shook his head.

"You'll think I'm making this up." He told her.

"Well, go on." Barbara said now interested.

Her father worked his jaw.

"What do you know about . . . Batman."

"Um, isn't that like a . . . urban legend? Like alligators in the sewers?" Barbara said a bit perplexed.

"I thought so, but that janitor didn't think so."

"But it . . ." She tried to say.

"As much I hate to admit it. I've been getting the impression that someone has been watching me in my office." He told her.

Her eyes widened.

"Something is going on. Then there was the mayor. When we talked after I was sworn in he said something. I didn't realize it at the time, but I'm remembering it

now. He said something like 'If anything out of the ordinary happens let me know.'"

"What did he mean?" Barbara asked carefully.

Gordon shook his head.

"Do you think it's a rumor the police made up?" She asked curiously.

"I doubt it." Her father replied.

"There can't really be a vigilante . . . bat person can there? That's silly. Who would do that? That's dangerous." She declared.

"I don't know. But I need to do some investigating sometime soon. Under the radar of course. I don't want people to think that I'm crazy or something if it's not

true" He commented.

"What if it is?" She asked softly.

"Then I guess we will go from there."

"Let me start looking into it," Barbara offered. "I need to go to the library tomorrow anyway. I could do some checking."

"Are you sure? I don't want to take away your time from school stuff."

"No! No, it will be fine. I'll do it. It will be fun." She told him.

He shook his head.

"Only you would find extra work enjoyable." He said with some admiration.

"Yep, that's me."

"So, what are you doing research for?" He asked.

"Oh uh, a project." She said taking a drink.

"Uh, huh." He said unbelievingly as he picked something up in her tone.

"What?" She said innocently.

* * *

The library.

The place was quickly becoming Barbara's favorite place in the city.

Just walking through the doors made her whole day seem better.

Both of the sisters were working as usual.

"Hello Grace." Barbara said cheerfully.

The old lady looked up behind her glasses and gave a smile.

"Barbara dear, hello. How was school?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Good actually, but it's time for research. I was hoping to stare at some old newspapers. They probably can be found online at the library's site. This library has

computers right?" Barbara asked.

Grace nodded reluctantly.

"Yes." She pointed to an adjoining room off to the left. "It used to be the children's reading room, but it was changed over to match the times."

Barbara picked up the sad tone in her voice.

"I'm sorry." Barbara said after a minute.

Grace gave a sigh.

"It used to be so beautiful in there. There was a large tree painted on the wall where children could hang their artwork. Martha would read to them every Tuesday

evening after the schools got out. She used to draw such a crowd. She has a beautiful voice. I used to stand here at the desk, and if the door was open, I too could

hear the stories. I would get so wrap up that I wouldn't even see some one approach." Grace gave another sigh as she ended her speech and gazed into the

direction of the room. "Oh, well, time marches on."

She went back to checking books in.

Barbara slowly walked away now feeling a bit sad for the sisters.

She walked into the room. It was now painted a soft shade of green.

Not too many people were there so Barbara pulled up an extra chair to put her backpack on.

She went through the process of creating an account and then tried to decide what she wanted to do first.

She chose the one that had been on her mind was longer: Richard Grayson.

There was no way that the city's most famous citizen could adopt some kid and it _not_ have it appear in the newspaper.

She meant to ask him sometime, but every time he appeared, she always ended up mad at him. So this was just simpler.

Her fingers flew across the keys and what she found was not what she expected.

It was terrible.

A visiting circus, a terrible event, and one boy left with nothing.

And then suddenly without reason, Bruce Wayne takes custody of the boy, and Richard Grayson becomes his ward.

So who really was Bruce Wayne anyway? Perhaps it was time look into him more.

There were definitely more stories about him. Too many in Barbara's opinion.

She stopped and rubbed her eyes.

An entire hour had passed.

Time to work on her dad's project.

Batman: fact or fiction?

She grinned as she typed. It had to be hype. People were overreacting and making up stories.

The sites she went to were odd ones. People had posted blurry photos, recording sightings, and made speculations.

It was like Bigfoot, Barbara decided. Everyone saw something, but couldn't really prove it.

The current train of thought was that he worked for the police as some sort of secret police. The mayor had even been asked about it once and had brushed it off as

'nonsense'.

Barbara sat back and took a breath.

Okay time to get away from the crazies. She tried to search more reputable sights.

The few local papers only had blurbs of an 'unknown' person being sighted around areas that the police soon showed up at.

Hundreds of criminal were going to jail, but unfortunately more still seemed to be out there.

Major criminals were being captured and left for the police to deal with.

Who was doing this? Who kept beating the police at their own game? Some reports even had it stated as two people not just one. A person dressed in bright colors.

"Yea that seems subtle." Barbara said under her breath.

The police's best period seemed to be under a Commissioner by the name of Williams. People seemed to like him, but he was killed eventually by a gang he was in

the process of taking down.

Barbara logged out of everything and stared at the blank computer screen.

She looked at her watch. It was definitely time to go home.

Picking up her bag, she headed for the door.

She stepped out but quickly ducked back inside.

Dick Grayson stood at the library's counter talking with Grace. Martha came up from behind her sister pushing an empty book cart.

Barbara fought with herself for five seconds before her nosey side one out. She stood there and listened.

"Good afternoon ladies. How have you guys been? I haven't seen your names in the blotter recently, so that's good." He began by saying.

Barbara rolled her eyes.

He was so . . . weird.

Grace put a hand to her mouth hiding a smile.

Martha small mouth went into a fine line.

"Who knew that there could be two Martha Grumps in the same town?" Her sister said, no longer hiding a smile.

The corner of Martha's mouth went up slightly.

"I knew the moment that I saw it that it couldn't be you. You don't look like the assault and battery type to me." Dick said now grinning.

"That was so funny." Grace said taking a book from Dick's hands. "My husband still jokes with her about it."

"I don't find it particularly funny." Martha said crossing her arms.

"Oh admit it, for a while there all the teenagers were afraid of you." Grace told her sister.

Martha put a finger to her mouth.

"Well, everyone stayed very quiet in here for a time after that."

"And we never had any overdue books." Grace added.

"Sounds like a win-win." Dick said.

Barbara had to smile. It did sound funny.

"Does he need this renewed dear?" Grace asked Dick.

"You know Alfred." Dick began. "Two weeks is all he needs and he's ready for another."

Martha pulled a book out from underneath the counter and handed it to her sister who scanned it and gave it over to Dick.

"Thank you ladies, I will see you in two weeks." He gave a wave and turned around.

He paused.

Barbara pressed herself further against the wall.

He didn't see her, right?

She waited a minute and peeked out. He was gone.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Just so you don't think I'm completely weird, the end of last summer I went to a farmer's

market and bought a watermelon right off the bat—mistake. Lugging that thing around was a pain. I always thought

people either saw me as nuts or strong. Let me be honest and tell you that is wasn't the latter.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **This is probably my favorite chapter so far.* Most likely because it's so Dick focused.

* Probably going to say this a lot.

**Let's See Here:**

**Masqueraded Angel****: **Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**jdcocoagirl****: **We will be getting to more of that soon I promise. Thanks for the input.

**3Nightwing: **That's probably higher praise than I deserve, but I'm glad to think that you think that. :)

**Laura: **You are easy to please. Thanks!

**Tsunade-chan****: **I'm glad you are buying into this story. I really did still want Dick to be Robin since when he's

Nightwing I feel that Tim should be floating around somewhere and . . . there really was no place for him here.

Arigato!

**Laura: **Hello again. :) Thanks.

**Disclaimer: **I obviously don't own Batman, but I still have to come out and say that I don't own Batman. I also do

not own Camaros or any operas by Mozart. (poor me)

* * *

Chapter 8: Good Reflexes, Bad Moods

Barbara walked along to get to her second class of the day in a happy mood. Her test had gone great and she felt ready to take on anything that this day could

throw at her.

She walked past the row of windows looking at the people who walked past.

It looked like a nice fall day, too bad she was stuck inside.

They should really have a class outside sometime.

Various people were lounging about on the chairs and the floor trying to soak up what sun they could.

Barbara turned the corner down into a long windowless hallway.

They really needed to put plants down here or someth . . .

Suddenly her vision was blacked out by a pair of hands.

She immediately knocked them off and spun around her hand in a fist.

She landed a punch within inches of Dick Grayson's face.

It left a dent in the wall.

His liquid blue eyes were huge.

* * *

He hated to admit it but she came too close to hitting him. He had barely avoided it in time. If Bruce found out, he would never hear the end of it.

She was breathing heavily as she moved her hand away from the side of his face.

She couldn't help but start laughing.

He stared at her as she doubled over.

"What is so funny? You almost hit me!" He told her.

"I know." She said still laughing.

He had to grin a bit. Okay, maybe it was kind of funny.

"Where are you heading?" He asked.

"Don't try and change the subject and you don't need to know." She said swiftly.

He watched her nose scrunch up in anger.

Okay, so it was a stupid idea, but when he saw her, it just fell into place. He didn't realize that she was going to fight back. He supposed he should try and act sorry.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that you . . ."

"Don't bother." She snapped at him.

Dick gave an irritated sigh.

She couldn't forgive him for anything could she?

"Now what am I supposed to do about this!" She pointed to the dent.

It was fairly noticeable.

He watched her bite her lip in worry.

"I have a suggestion." He offered.

She turned to him. The fire was still in her eyes.

"Run!" He declared and he quickly walked off. She stood there frozen, but then turned around and walked off in the opposite direction.

He stopped to watch her red hair disappear.

* * *

Kelly gave Barbara a wave as she walked over to their usual table to do some studying for the afternoon.

"Here," Kelly said handing her a stack of index cards. "Pick one."

"Bradycardia" Barbara read off.

Kelly looked blank.

"Maybe you should pick a different one."

Barbara shook her head and sat down.

"You can't learn everything at once. You have like fifty cards here." Barbara pointed out.

"I have to start somewhere. You look like you've had a good day." She commented.

"I came _this _close to punching Dick Grayson in the face. He startled me and I reacted. I was _this _far away from his head." Barbara added showing the distance with

her fingers.

"You make it sound like you wish you would have hit him."

"No . . . not really . . . okay maybe." Barbara finally settled on.

Kelly shook her head.

"What do you have against that boy?" She asked.

Barbara picked up the stack of flashcards.

"You ready?" Barbara asked avoiding the question.

* * *

A few days later after the incident, Dick found himself looking especially for Barbara Gordon. There was a chance that she had left already, but he had told Alfred

that he would try and catch her if he could.

Surprising enough, he found her outside of the library near the cafeteria.

Asleep.

Her head was leaning back against the wall. Her pretty red hair spilled down onto her shoulders.

Pretty? Did he just think that?

Giving into temptation, he leaned down and tapped his index finger against her nose.

She started, and her eyes flew open.

"You better be careful. You fall asleep in here, kids are liable to put straws up your nose." He said.

She hurriedly brought her hand up to her face.

He smiled.

"Don't worry nobody did." He assured her.

Shooting him a glare, she set about picking up her books that were laying half opened around her.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked pointedly.

"Sure can. Your dad couldn't get a hold of you, so he called Alfred, who called me, to get you. Follow?"

She fished around in her book bag for her phone.

"Shoot, I had it turned off. What did he want?" She asked.

"Your father was hoping that you would come down to the police station after school."

"Yea, he wanted me to see it sometime. I haven't had a chance yet." She told him. She checked the time on her phone.

"Shoot I really did fall asleep. The next bus doesn't come for another ten minutes and then I think I have to transfer . . ." She rattled on now looking for a bus

schedule in her book bag.

"It's okay. I can take you." He offered.

"No." She said sitting up suddenly. "I mean, I can wait, it's fine." She added hurriedly.

"Oh, come on. No sense in you sitting around. I'm going past there anyway." It was a lie but he felt that it needed to be told. He tried to offer a charming smile.

She looked unconvinced.

"I don't k . . ."

"Let's go!" He interrupted her saying.

Seeing how she was going to lose the argument, Barbara slowly got up and shoved the rest of her books into her bag.

"If you insist." She finally said.

Dick smiled—he had won.

* * *

They headed out to the parking lot taking one the of side exits of the school.

By now, most of the trees had lost their leaves, leaving the branched bare.

Dick watched as Barbara stared up at them.

He imagined that she was thinking of something odd to say. Where did she come up with stuff that came out of her mouth sometimes?

"I love this time of year."

He looked over at her. That seemed normal.

"It always makes me want to write poetry or something." She added.

He raised an eyebrow. Yep, she was an odd one. But he decided that that was okay.

They walked a bit further weaving through the cars and passing all the people who were heading in for the day.

"I'm actually glad I take the bus. Parking here looks like you're parking at an airport."

Dick smiled at the comment.

"That's the other side of town." He quipped.

She shook her head at his joke. She stopped to look back at the school.

"Not too much farther." He told her.

She turned around and looked where he was pointing.

A shiny yellow Camaro sat wedged in between all the other ordinary cars.

"You coming?" He asked.

Barbara blinked twice out of her trance. She looked up and found him with the driver's side door already open.

She walked over to the passenger side door and continued to stare.

"You pull the handle."

She looked across the car at him.

"The handle. You pull it open." He made the gesture as to demonstrate.

"Well, duh!" She snapped at him. She pulled open the door and got in.

He smiled and got in himself.

"Oh, do you want to throw your bag in the back?" He offered.

She held the bag on her lap.

"No it's okay."

He noticed that she was tense. She had all her arms tightly against her sides, almost like she was afraid that she was going to break something.

He tried to think of something to say to put her more at ease as he started the car up.

"You know, Bruce is kind of odd." He told her.

Dick carefully maneuvered out of the parking lot and turned out onto the main road.

"What do you mean?" She asked tentatively.

"Well, every year since I was li . . . well, that's not true, since I came here I always ask for a pony for Christmas. And every year, I never get one. But once, just

once, I offhandedly mention that I think Camaros look cool and guess what I get that same year." He said.

Barbara had to smile.

"You know most guys wouldn't mind getting a Camaro instead of a pony." She said while staring out the window. She turned to face him. "So what happens if you

come down one Christmas and there is a pony by the tree?"

He shook his head. "Won't happen." He answered swiftly.

"Maybe, sometime though. Maybe just for a laugh? You would be surprised wouldn't you?" She asked.

Dick pondered that one for a moment. Bruce doing anything for a laugh? _That _was laughable.

"Green light."

He looked over at her.

"What?"

"Green light." She nodded up to the street.

"Oh, sorry." Dick stepped on the gas as the car behind him honked.

* * *

Barbara could feel the mood change in the car. Suddenly, the ever apparently happy and cheerful, Dick Grayson was gone.

She leaned back in the seat.

She supposed that it wasn't even possible for him to always be happy. Especially, with his past. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

She herself remembered the pain of her own mother's passing and wondered how an even a younger kid could deal with such a loss. Such a tragic loss.

She meant to ask him something about it, but how did you bring something like that up?

"It's going to be coming up on you left." He told her as he turned down one of the city's roads.

Barbara leaned forward so she could look up at the skyscrapers. It still amazed her to see them.

"The police building is the one with the brick base with the steel top right . . . there!" He pointed as he made a turn.

"Wow, it's bigger than I pictured."

"It is a large police force." He reminded her as he pulled in front.

"Was it built around the same time as the post office across the street? It looks like it's made out of the same material."

"I have no idea." Dick admitted bluntly. He put the car in park. "Do you want me to go in with you?" He offered.

"No, it's fine. I usually can find my way around a police station." She reminded him.

"Yea, I guess." Dick gazed up at the building. He was used to seeing it from a higher vantage point.

Sensing that it was the moment to leave, Barbara opened the door.

"Barbara, uh . . ." She paused in the process of getting out at the sound of his voice.

His eyes had taken on an almost liquid appearance.

"I am really sorry about what I said."

She stared at him.

"Why?"

He dropped his hands from the steering wheel.

"Stop asking that." He demanded "And just accept it already!"

"Not until you tell me why you changed your mind." She ordered.

"Why does it matter?" He asked exasperatedly.

Barbara tightened her grip on the car door.

"Because you can't just attack the character of the person I respect most in this world, and then just think you can flippantly apologize!"

"It isn't flippant! I'm not even sure if I know what that means even!" He shot back now angry himself.

"I'm not surprised!" She fired back slamming the door shut.

She gave a short gasp realizing that she could have damaged his car. She took a step back and then turned quickly.

She knew she should have waited for the bus.

* * *

After entering the building and talking to various people, she was proven to be Jim Gordon's daughter and was given a pass.

She excitedly rode the elevator up.

The doors opened to reveal her father.

"Hey, Barb. Glad you could make it. It's a bit crazy around here at the moment, but come on." He said extending his hand. She took it gladly.

She met various people on the way who all greeted her pleasantly.

They finally made it there to his office.

Barbara paused outside of the door to run her fingers against her father's nameplate.

She turned back to smile at him proudly.

"Go ahead, open it up." He told her with a grin.

Her face lit up and she turned the handle. She pushed open the door and walked in.

"Dad, it looks nice in here. Mom would be so proud." She told him.

"Thanks hon." He said modestly. "You got here pretty quickly. I guess he found you huh?"

He motioned for her to sit down and she did as he sat as well.

"I suppose by 'he' you mean . . ."

"Richard, yea. It was kind of odd, but Alfred happened to be here when I couldn't reach you and he offered to see if he could get a hold of him. And here you are. I

thought you maybe were home already or something. But I see he caught you just in time. Still you got here pretty quickly." He said.

Barbara let out a breath.

"Uh, well, I feel asleep and missed my usual bus, so Richard offered to drive me here."

Her father looked up.

"Oh, that was nice of him. I hoped you thanked him." He said.

Barbara rolled her eyes.

"I'm not five Dad." She reminded him. "I told . . ." She stopped. She realized that she didn't thank him.

"Barbara?" Her father said picking up on her expression.

She looked down at her feet.

"I might have been too busy yelling at him." She admitted.

Her father's head snapped up.

"Barbara!" He said sternly. "About what?"

Barbara shrunk back at his tone and didn't respond.

"What are people going to think about me if my daughter runs around being rude to people without reason?" He said firmly.

Barbara bit her tongue.

She had a reason! She was trying to defend his character, but she couldn't tell him that. Her father was the type of man who would not let things that people say

about him affect him. He would just blow it off and tell her to ignore it.

But she couldn't. She just couldn't let this go for some reason.

The office was silent.

"I want you to thank him the next time you see him, agreed?" Her father said after a minute.

She nodded meekly.

She heard her father take in a deep breath.

"Okay, then, let's try to talk about happier things okay?" He gave her a small smile and she knew that he was no longer upset with her.

"Well," She said excitedly scooting her chair closer to his desk. "I saw that the opera house is playing _The Magic Flute_ by Mozart and I was thinking that we could go

see it sometime."

"Have we seen that one?" He asked.

"No, we were going to see it one time, but then something happened." Barbara stopped talking to try and recall what it was.

"Okay, so when then? You have to let me know ahead of time so that I can pencil it in." Gordon told her as he pulled out a organizer from his drawer.

"Well, either Friday or Saturday I guess. Oh, maybe Thursday would that be better." She asked as she watched him scan over the pages.

"Of this week or next?" He asked putting the pen cap between his teeth so that he could write.

"Next, if possible. I have a test to study for this week."

"And . . . .done." He said writing it in. "Now just don't let me forget."

"I won't." She promised. "This is going to be great.

She leaned back quite happily in the chair.

"Do you have a good view?" She asked standing up and going to the window. She pushed down the blinds to look out.

"It's decent." He responded. "But I've mostly been keeping them closed towards evening."

She turned to him.

"That 'watching' feeling?"

He nodded.

"Almost every night."

"Well, I told you what I found." She reminded him.

"I know." He nodded. "Guess one of these times I'll have to go see if I can prove or disprove any of it."

Barbara frowned.

"Well, be careful." She told him gently.

"You know me." He told her. "But I'm curious now and I have to know what is going on."

"Did you say that Alfred was here? You mean Mr. Pennyworth?" She asked recalling what her father had said.

"Yup. He came in and brought me a mug of some type of coffee. I didn't ask what it was, but I got a feeling that I couldn't afford it." He shot his daughter a grin.

"So what did he want?" She asked.

Gordon laced his hands together.

"He was telling me about some big charity thing that Wayne throws every . . . I got the impression of whenever he feels like it, for the police departments fallen

heroes fund."

"Okay." Barbara said feeling herself grinning.

"Well anyway, I guess the time has come to throw another one and apparently my opinion is required."

Barbara stared blankly.

"Well, I mean the Commissioner's opinion is needed and that happens to be me—as you already know." He said with a smile.

"About what?" Barbara said still feeling lost.

"You know, so far he really wasn't specific, but apparently it is tradition so I am going along with it." Her father said with a wave of his hand.

"When is it supposed to be thrown?"

"Sometime next month I guess." Her father moved around some papers. "I am supposed to go over to Wayne Manor sometime to look . . . 'stuff' over. Alfred said

that you could come too and look around it you wanted."

Barbara bit her lip. That sounded fun, but Dick would be there and she was already seeing him a remarkable amount of time already.

"I'll have to see Dad, with school and stuff." She explained.

"I understand." He said with a nod. "Hey you know what? Tomorrow after your done with school, I can take a longer than normal lunch and we can look around at

the city together, how about it?"

Barbara's eyes lit up.

"That has just made my day." She declared.

* * *

Dick leaned back in his chair and tried to focus.

It was the second Wednesday of the month, and as so, it was the day that Bruce would always drag Dick to the office with him.

So there he was, sitting there for going on three hours. Which, after sitting in class most of the day, was not relaxing in any way.

Dick looked down the boardroom table at all the various people that lined the sides.

How could people do this every day? How could people live this way? And the most important question, how did people survive in suits?

The actual room itself was huge. Two sides of the room were made up of large windows that gave the best view of the city that money could buy.

Even with all this, Dick felt that he was boxed in.

For the twelfth time of the afternoon, Dick glanced over at Bruce who, somehow, always managed to look interested.

Dick let out a sigh as he decided to look over the papers in front of him again. He looked back up at the man who had been talking for the past hour. Dick could no

longer remember the guy's name or his title.

It was time for some air—if he could get it.

Picking up a pen, Dick drew a picture in the margins of one of the reports.

It was of a stick person lying on the grounds with "x" for eyes. He slid it over to Bruce who glanced over at it briefly, but not long enough for anyone to notice.

Dick picked up on the barest potential smile tugging at the corner of Bruce's mouth.

Bruce didn't smile, at least not a genuine one that often. Dick referred to it as an 'almost' smile.

It was like he was thinking about it, but then decided against it.

Bruce pulled out a ballpoint pen and wrote something on the paper. He slid it back to Dick.

It was a large '5' which had been underlined twice.

Five glorious minutes of fresh air—which both he and Bruce knew, would be stretched to more like seven.

Seamlessly pushing back his chair, Dick got up and walked out. And just to prove how irrelevant his being there was, no one looked up as he left.

* * *

As soon as he pushed out the entrance doors, Dick stared at his watch. Not too many places to go in five minutes. But the air was wonderful. Well, as nice as

Gotham air was.

He looked up and down the busy streets. It seemed about average for the time of day. The sun was starting to head down, but there was still enough light out for

people to feel moderately safe.

He decided just watch people as they walked passed.

This part of town warranted tourists, delivery people, and everyone in the business community.

Dick turned around to stare at his reflection in the mirrored glass.

How his father would laugh at him if he could see him now. His son, dressed up like a corporate . . .

Dick shook his head. Of course his mother would try and soften the blow by telling him that he looked cute.

But in actuality, he looked like everyone else who was walking down the street in a suit and tie.

It was about as far away as one could get from the circus. It was a whole different show.

Dick kept staring into the reflective glass as he people walked behind him. The flow was a constant back and forth movement of humanity.

However, in the blur, two people stuck out. Jim Gordon and his daughter.

Dick moved, keeping his back to them as he watched them in the reflection coming to a stop at the intersection. He got close enough to listen.

"At this point I am officially blaming you." Gordon said in a serious voice.

Barbara seemed to be hiding a smile.

"I didn't say that we had to go this way; I just said that I would like to." She argued.

"And here we are, three blocks from where we should be." He stated.

"Well, we both could use the exercise. It's nice to get out and walk. I'm glad that you could get away for a bit."

Gordon smiled and nodded.

The 'walk' sign flashed on.

"Okay, here we go." Gordon said offering Barbara his hand.

She stared at it.

"Dad, you do realize that I can cross the street without your help right?" She said with a smile.

"Well, I think that we all remember what happened with you and your mother that one time." He reminded her.

"I was four! And there was no one coming when I went across!"

"Well you still gave your mother a heart attack and I had to come from work to lecture you."

Both the Gordons stood there, both smiling at the memory.

Dick smiled too.

"Maybe, your dad wants to hold his daughter's hand." Gordon finally said.

Barbara turned to her father with a sweet smile.

"Aw, Dad." She quickly slipped her hand into his. He gave her hand a squeeze.

The crosswalk sign went red.

"Daaaad." Barbara moaned. "Now I am officially blaming you." She said with a grin.

They both laughed as they stood there waiting for the light to turn back.

At this point, Dick felt bad for spying.

The Gordons were genuinely nice people. They were just an ordinary family out on the streets of Gotham having fun and enjoying the early evening.

Dick felt a pang of jealously.

It had been so long since he had done that. Not that he had anyone to do it with.

His family always was together. If one of them was somewhere, that's where they all were. They were all they had. Their whole world was each other, but now, there

was just him.

He shook his head trying to rein in his thoughts.

Being in a depressed state of mind was not like him. He glanced down at his watch. He had been out now bordering on nine minutes, he had better head back. He

walked back down in front of all the other buildings that lined that side of the street.

He took one more breath of outside air and plunged back in.

Bruce gave him "the look" as he re-entered and took his seat. Dick managed an apologetic smile.

After the marathon meeting was over, Dick found himself looking out of the windows in Bruce's office.

Bruce himself, was on the phone talking with some investor in France.

Dick walked over and picked up the stapler off Bruce's desk. He gave into a smile.

When he was a kid, he found the stapler fascinating. He would sit in Bruce's chair and staple bits of paper together. Sometimes, he would put tons of staples around

one single sheet of paper. Bruce always had kept an extra box in the top drawer so that he never ran out. Of course, he always had to have Bruce put the new

staples in for him.

Dick pushed the lever down and a pressed staple fell into his palm.

It really was a clever contraption. Dick pushed it down again and another staple fell out. He grinned and pressed the lever down again. And again, and . . .

A hand came down and grabbed the stapler out of Dick's hands. Bruce shot him a "what on earth are you doing?" look while never breaking his conversation on the

phone.

Dick crossed his arms now in a thoroughly unhappy mood.

His mind wandered back to the Gordons.

He and Bruce never really did anything fun anymore.

He could recall the night when he was little and couldn't sleep, so Bruce stayed up and tried to teach him how to play chess. Dick wasn't even sure where the chess

board was anymore.

All there was now was their work at night and then their work in the day.

Dick was fed up.

Walking over, he scooped up his suit coat off the back of a chair where he had dropped it and walked out the office door. He strode quickly down to the elevator, but

then chose to take the stairs. He needed feeling in his legs again.

Stopping at the front desk, he confirmed that he was leaving and asked to have his car pulled up.

Once inside his car, he strummed his fingers against the steering wheel trying to decide what to do.

He chose his destination.

* * *

There was a spot on the outskirts of town. A hill, if you could call it that, which sat really in the middle of nowhere important. Everyone just drove past it on the way

into town, never giving it another glance.

It was out far enough to get away from some of the fog and smog and the city and on clear nights you could see the stars.

Dick pulled off on the side of the road and got out, leaving his tie in the car.

It was a small walk to get there, but it was worth it to be able to sit on some real live grass under a tree that wasn't surrounded by skyscrapers.

His phone rang.

He ignored it.

Bruce knew he had left the building and doing so he had broken some major rules, 1) He didn't tell Bruce personally, and 2) He didn't tell Bruce where he was going.

At the moment, Dick neither cared nor was worried about it.

The sun was just about to finish going down. The last of its rays fell across the city, giving it a glowing appearance.

Maybe Barbara had been right.

The words played across his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but at the time, he knew she was right. He knew what a home was, he had had one once, and he didn't

need her to remind him of what was gone.

But he shouldn't be taking it out on her. She was just telling the truth, maybe a bit blunter than he was used to.

He though back to watching Barbara and her father interact. There was nothing sinister or insincere about the way the acted. Bruce was out of his mind if he didn't

decided to trust Jim Gordon.

And Barbara, he wished for the millionth time that he would have kept his mouth shut. How did he expect her to forgive him? It was obvious that Jim and Barbara

Gordon were each other's worlds as much as he and his parents had been.

If someone would have insulted _his _father he certainly not be so quick to forgive them.

He had tried to smooth things over, but she refused to let him. What did she want anyway? And even so why did she have to be so . . . disagreeable around him? He

had seen her with several people and she always seemed to be smiling, but as soon as he came around, her eyes would always grow hard.

One smile. That's all he wanted. One genuine smile aimed in his direction.

That's what he was trying to do all this time, trying to get her to smile. Instead he just got the cold glare and the scrunched up nose.

He had tried apologizing three times now and she refused to forgive him. As far as he was concerned he had done all he could and that was that.

Fine, let her be that way, he would just try not to care.

He rubbed the sides of his arms as he watched the first stars come out. He had better be getting back lest Bruce, in his anger, forbid him from going out that night.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **You people do not want to know how much time I spent on deciding what color to make Dick's car. I'm ridiculous. Happy Easter!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: **Blah, Blah, Blah, whatever, let's get on with it. _Warning: _another o/c coming your way. (P.S. you people are being so nice and positive about this

story—thanks a lot!)

**Let's See Here . . .**

**jdcocoagirl****: **Clever? Whoa, thanks. :) Your description of Dick made me laugh.

**3Nightwing: **I elicited real emotion? That's good to hear. I really liked writing about Dick and his parents in this chap. Bruce is. . . Bruce what else really can you

say? Thanks a ton.

**Laura: **I hope to keep you happy. Thanks. :)

**Saphire122****: **Thanks for stopping by to read and review!

**Disclaimer: **This may shock you so prepare yourself. . . I do not own any of the Batman characters.

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Problem, The Even Worse Solution

Barbara sat in her classroom watching the rain roll down the window. It was a lazy kind of day. The kind where your alarm went off in the morning and all you

wanted to do was curl under the covers and stay there.

But Barbara was a dedicated student, so out the door she went while promising herself that when she got back she would sit on the couch and watch a movie.

The day progressed slowly. Reports were handed in and more papers were ordered to be written. They had to watch a video in her third class and that about did her

in. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the cafeteria to keep herself going.

By the time everything was over, the sun had decided to pop out for the rest of the evening. Barbara made her way to the cafeteria to find Kelly.

"You know hon," Kelly began after Barbara sat down. "It would be a lot easier if _all_ the bones in the body were put into a song like that one. You know . . . the head

bones connected to the neck bone, the neck bones connected . . ." She started singing.

Barbara smiled. That's what she liked about Kelly. She never cared who was watching or listening, she was always herself.

"I mean look at this!" Kelly showed her a chart of the human bones. "There are a lot of bones here. I don't know how this old mind is going to remember all this

stuff."

"Little by little okay? You can't rush it. And you aren't that old." Barbara said rolling her eyes.

Kelly shook her head.

"I turn thirty-eight this year." She said proudly "and I think that is quite old enough."

"But you don't act like it; you're as bad as a teenager sometimes." Barbara told her.

Kelly gave a look of mock horror.

"My daughter must be rubbing off on me. That reminds me Barbara, I have got to have you and your father over sometimes. My husband Brandon says that I never

shut up about you and that must mean I like you. He's right of course. So you have to let me know when you both have free time, if ever. You are always as buys as

a bee so I can only assume that your dad is just as hectic. How is he doing?"

Barbara always marveled how Kelly could give such a speech and never sound out of breath.

"Fine thanks. He is keeping busy, but he likes it." Barbara said.

Kelly shook her head.

"I can't even imagine. Some days, I get up and all three kids are needing everything at once and I say, 'Kelly, now you can't complain. Think of Barbara's dad trying

to run an entire police force.'"

"Does it work?" Barbara asked while grinning.

Kelly shrugged.

"Usually Brandon comes over and says, 'Are you talking to yourself?'" Kelly burst out in a large laugh that reverberated around the cafeteria. Barbara, like everyone

else in the room, just smiled along.

"Well, I'll mention something to him about it. I'm sure he'll love to." Barbara then remembered something. "Oh, did I tell you about this Thursday?"

"Yep, you are calling off our little study session so that you can go home and get ready to see a play."

"An opera." Barbara said correcting her.

"I wish my kids were all cultural" Kelly mentioned.

"Well my mom was always taking me along to see the Nutcracker and stuff like that, and she and my dad would always go out and see whatever. It's not really my

dad's thing, but if my mom wanted to do it he was more than happy to go along." Barbara said with a fond smile.

"Start it while they're young huh?" Kelly stated. "Your dad always sounds like just the sweetest guy on the planet. And he must be because you are so sweet too."

Barbara fiddled with her notebook smiling at Kelly's kind words.

"He's the best ever." She stated simply.

"And." Kelly added. "If all of my kids like me and their father as much as you like yours I will be one happy lady."

Barbara tapped her fingers against the top of the plastic table and decided to ask a question.

"Hey, what do you think this city thinks of my dad?" Barbara read every news report, but she really wanted to get a regular person opinion of what people thought.

Kelly seemed to think it over.

"Well, I haven't lived here all my life, but I've picked up on some things about people of Gotham, which I guess I can count myself a member of. We are very

stubborn people. We don't trust easily. We are highly opinionated, and at times, are extremely know-it-ally."

Barbara tried not to frown. This was leading to something bad, wasn't it?

"But I honestly think that people are being positive about him so far. Which is odd because we are a pessimistic people. Was that in the list I just rattled off?" She

asked Barbara.

Ha! Take that Richard Grayson. Barbara thought triumphantly.

"But you know, nothing really major has happened yet, so judgment is going to be held until then. Which I guess is pessimism. But there you have it. Does that help

any?" Kelly asked.

"Describe 'major.'" Barbara told her.

"Oh, good heavens dear, we could be here for hours."

"Sorry, we should start studying." Barbara said apologetically. She grabbed out a stack of papers and tried to keep her mind on the work ahead.

* * *

Jim Gordon glanced up at the clock. The day seemed to be moving so slowly. It had been one of those mornings and even his daughter had been slow getting up.

He shuffled some more paper around his desk and then checked the clock on the wall. It wasn't even time for lunch yet.

A knock came to his door.

"Come in." He called through the glass.

An unfamiliar man stuck his head through the door.

"Commissioner Gordon?" He asked.

"So they tell me."

The man offered a small smile at the quip and then offered his hand.

"Ronald Baxby, sir. I'm sorry I wasn't around when you were sworn in, but I was away at a police conference for the past couple of weeks followed by some tr . . .

well no need to bore you." He said with an easy smile.

"Okay." Gordon said simply. Not quite knowing what else to say.

"But I'm here now and I'm ready to help." The blond man explained. "Oh, you are confused. I'm your deputy commissioner. Lieutenant Baxby at your service.

Consider me your right arm." He offered with a grin.

"I like the one I have, but okay." Gordon said after a minute. He motioned for the man to sit down.

"I have various things for you to look over and a report I have written detailing information that I received from various law informant officers." The man leaned

down and pulled things out of his briefcase.

Gordon looked back up at the clock. Maybe time would go faster now.

Three hours into Baxby's appearance Gordon had been fully brought up to speed on every topic that concerned the city.

Gordon leaned back in his chair mulling the information over.

"You know," He mentioned. "I'm surprised that they didn't just make you Commissioner."

Baxby looked up in surprise and a bit of pride.

"Well, I'm fairly new to my position as also. I actually transferred here only a couple years ago so some people still see me as a rookie." He said giving a shrug.

The short silence that follow was soon interrupted by Gordon's phone ringing. Gordon picked it up by the second ring.

"Gordon here." He paused. "Good evening Mayor. Yes, yes he's here. Has been for the past several hours." He said looking up with a smile at Baxby. "Oh, really?

Why I'm sure we would love to sometime. This Thursday?" He looked over at Baxby who gave a nod. "Ah, yea I can't see why not. No problem. Have a good

afternoon as well. Thank you. Goodbye." Gordon placed the phone back on the receiver.

"Meeting or something?" Baxby guessed.

"Dinner at his house. At seven. Discussion to follow I supposed." Gordon assed.

"Alright then. Well, I better let you go get some lunch and I can only imagine how much work you have. If you need me I'm a floor up, second door on the left." He

said offering his hand again.

"Sure thanks." Gordon replied shaking the man's hand again.

The man offered a smile and left.

Gordon said there blinking. That took up more of his time then he would have liked, but oh, well.

Thursday with the Mayor. He had better not forget.

Wait this Thursday!?

Gordon stared at the back of his door blankly.

"Oh, dear."

* * *

Barbara took the news very well. She hung her head for a moment, before snapping it up in a smile.

"It will be fine Dad. I understand." She said. "We can see something some other time. Don't worry about it."

He was not going to let her take this so lightly.

"Barbara I am really sorry. I wasn't even thinking. My mouth just opened and I spoke. I'll see if I can work something out okay?"

"It's really no big deal. What were you supposed to say? 'No I have to go somewhere with my daughter?' He's the mayor!" Barbara pointed out.

"That's what I could have said." Gordon argued.

She shook her head.

"Don't give it another thought." She told him.

She turned her back and headed for the kitchen.

The next day Gordon still felt badly about the whole thing.

* * *

Barbara never asked for much and when she did he tried to fulfill what she wanted. She was always doing things for him, why could he never manage to do things

for her?

He sighed and looked up at the clock. He really needed to move it so that he couldn't look at it so often. But there was a meeting in thirteen minutes so he had

better not be late.

His phone rang.

He hoped it was the mayor again, canceling.

It wasn't.

"Alfred? Oh, yes hello. I'm fine thank you. How are all of you? Good to hear. Barbara? Oh, she's good. Keeping busy with school as you might have guessed. The

party plans? Oh, uh, yea I might have an hour or so to swing by after I get done here at the station. Do you think that it will take long? Ah, huh. Well, okay. I'll aim

for six okay? Don't worry if I'm late." He told the butler.

* * *

He was late, but not by much.

"Sorry." He apologized to Alfred as he answered the door.

"No need for apologies. Master Bruce is running late himself." He explained. "But come in. I basically know what you can start looking over." Alfred explained while

taking Gordon's coat.

Gordon looked around the room. It seemed so quiet.

"No one is home to make noise." Alfred said seeming to catch Gordon's thoughts. "Master Richard is still out as well."

Gordon gave a smile as he followed Alfred deeper into the house.

After a few minutes, Gordon was awash in seating charts, color schemes, and various ideas for what shape the ice sculpture should be.

"Ah, this is _really _something that you get the Commissioner's approval on?" Gordon asked with some bewilderment.

"Oh, yes, for quite some time now. Which is why I was hoping that you sometime will bring Barbara along." Alfred explained.

"Yea, this would be something more up her alley." Gordon agreed. "I will have to get her to some sometime."

Gordon sighed.

Barbara.

"Is something wrong?" Alfred asked.

Gordon looked up at him. He was getting the sense that Alfred was very perceptive.

"Well, to make a long story short, we were going to see an opera this Thursday and now we are not."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Alfred said.

"Yea, but it's my fault. She, of course, acted like it didn't matter, but it does." Gordon said sadly. "She said that she could go alone, but I didn't really like that idea.

Especially, since she's never been before."

Alfred stood still for a moment before speaking.

"You know? I think I may have an idea . . ."

* * *

By the time Gordon got home that night, he was feeling a bit better.

Barbara came bounding to the front door to see him.

"Hi, Dad! How was your day?"

"Just fine, Barbara." He said while hanging up his coat.

"Okay, well, I want to hear all about it. Come on." She tugged at his arm.

"Okay, Barb. Okay. It wasn't very exciting I assure you." He said as he sat down.

Their dinner table had become the place to eat and give reports of the day.

"But." He said while sticking his fork into his salad. "I have some good news."

Barbara's eyes lit up.

"About the opera?" She asked hopefully.

Gordon could tell that she was trying hard not to sound too hopeful.

"Ah, huh, but it's not entirely what you think." He said just to clarify.

Her eyebrows crinkled.

"So what?" She asked.

"I found someone to go with you. Well, more like someone offered. Well, come to think of it, someone offered someone else." Gordon said.

Now his daughter looked really confused.

"Okay. I'll rewind. I stopped by Wayne Manor as you know and I started talking to Alfred and I told him what happened and he said that . . ."

He paused. Barbara's eyes had grown wide.

"Oh, Dad, you didn't." She pleaded. "You wouldn't!" She specified.

Gordon was taken aback.

"What are you talking about? I haven't even told you yet." He said.

She gave a noise of protest but he stopped her by holding up his hand.

"Let me finish." He ordered.

Barbara slumped in her chair.

"Anyway . . . Alfred felt sorry for what had happened. He is just really nice. Sorry, anyway . . . I told him that you still wanted to go, but I didn't want you to go

along and Alfred said that he bet Richard be glad would go with you."

At that moment, Barbara wished that her salad was a hot soup so that she could put her face into it.

"Daaaaad." Barbara let out with a moan.

How could he do this to her? Barbara stopped to think.

"He probably has plans or school or something! You can't just volunteer his time like that." Barbara said trying to argue out of it logically.

"Well, Alfred said Richard would let you know." Gordon replied happily while taking another stab at a piece of carrot. "Alfred said, his words, 'that he was sure that

Richard would be happy to go with you.'"

Barbara had to restrain rolling her eyes.

Alfred was being polite. She couldn't imagine Dick was the type of person who would _want _to go to the opera.

What was Alfred thinking?

She thought Alfred liked her!

* * *

"Ahh, Master Richard you have returned."

Dick looked up at Alfred as he entered the kitchen.

"Yup, another day down." He set his bag on the counter. "Did the Commissioner come by today?" He asked.

"He did indeed." Alfred informed him.

"How did that go?"

"Well, seeing that Master Bruce did not actually make it here . . ."

Dick shook his head. That was Bruce for you.

". . . it went quite well. By the end, I would say that we both were enjoying ourselves." Alfred said proudly.

Dick pulled back the bar-stool and sat down.

"He is a good person. Isn't he?" Dick remarked softly.

"I believe so." Alfred said stopping to look at him.

"Let's see if we can convince Bruce of that. Where is he?"

Alfred gave Dick a look.

"Right. Batcave." He stood up.

"Oh, one more thing. Do you have any plans for this Thursday evening?" Alfred asked.

Now it was Dick's turn to give Alfred a look.

"Ah, no. Do you need me to do something for you?" He asked.

"Well, I rather volunteered you for something."

Dick picked up on the tone in Alfred's voice.

"Ah, huh," Dick commented carefully.

"Well, the Commissioner was telling me about how he and his daughter had plans to see an opera and how well, he couldn't make it now. So I told him that you

would go with her."

"Alfred!" Dick exclaimed. "You do realize that she hates me, right?"

"Well, then this is your chance to change that." Alfred said pointing a finger at him.

"I . . ." Dick fumbled for something to say. "I thought you liked me!"

Alfred looked sternly at him.

"You will be fine." Alfred said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

* * *

Barbara had to work extremely hard at it but she had managed to dodge Dick the entire school day. She carefully scouted out halls and corners before walked down

them.

There was, of course, her last class, but even then he never chose to look at her even when she walked in the room.

Which was fine by her. She was home free as soon as she walked out of the classroom.

She sat down tiredly at her and Kelly's table.

The nursing student soon walked up after a few minutes.

"What's up, Barbara?" Kelly surveyed the red haired girl. "Aw, still sad about your opera?" She said leaning over to pat Barbara's hand. "I'm sorry hon. I'd go with

you, but Jeffery is not getting over this cold easily, and Brandon is helpless with sick kids let me tell you."

Barbara brushed back a strand of her hair.

"Don't worry about it. It's been taken care of. In fact, it's gotten a whole lot worse." She explained.

"Aw, are you not going to go now? That's a shame." Kelly said sadly.

"No, worse than that. _Someone else _is going to go with me." Barbara said grinding her teeth.

Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" She asked curiously.

"Take a guess." Barbara said not wanting to say it herself.

Kelly sat back in her seat.

"Well, you don't know many people, and I can assume whoever it is, it was not your idea. Which means it was your dad's idea. Hmmmmmm."

Then the dam burst and Kelly started laughing and pounding the table with her fist at the same time.

Barbara crossed her arms and waited for the laughter to die down.

Kelly was gasping for breath while wiping tears from her eyes.

"This is not funny!" Barbara exclaimed.

Kelly took a deep breath.

"So let me get this straight. Your dad somehow arranged for _Dick Grayson_ to go with you? That is hilarious!" Kelly had thankfully lowered her voice at this point.

"No it's not!" Barbara said again. "This is terrible."

Kelly smiled and shook her head.

"Barbara, dear, its one night. You'll be okay. Just don't kill him." She added. "And I promise I will do you a favor and not tell anyone in this school that you two are

going out on a date."

"It's NOT a date." Barbara insisted passionately. "It's, it's a . . . forced outing."

Kelly shook her head again.

"You are over blowing this." Kelly said now trying to calm her down. "Now let's focus on something fun. These flashcards for instance."

Barbara took them out of her hand, grateful that the topic was being dropped.

"Okay, ah, 'Dextrose'" Barbara said reading off the second card from the bottom.

"I'm not going to panic. I went through all of these last night and felt confident, but as soon as you read one off I just feel like my head is about to explode." Kelly said.

"Just think about it." Barbara instructed.

"This is completely an easy one isn't it?" Kelly moaned. "Dextrose . . .dex . . ." Kelly paused and seemed to be looking over Barbara's head.

"It's glucose, which is a simple sugar." A familiar male voice spoke over Barbara's head.

Kelly broke into a grin.

"Shoot, see? It was one of the easy ones. Good guess." She told him.

Dick shrugged.

"I cheated. I saw the card." He explained.

Barbara felt his eyes on her, but she said nothing.

Anyway, I just came over her to give you this." He walked around to where Barbra could see him and handed her a notebook.

She did a double take.

"My . . . I thought I . . . thanks." She ended up saying before she took it from him.

Kelly smiled at the both of them waiting for someone to say something.

No one did.

"Sorry for interrupting." Dick said. And with a nod of his head he walked off.

Barbara huffed.

"Aw, be nice to the poor boy." Kelly chastised her.

"That doesn't even begin to apply to him." Barbara snorted.

"Okay, then, be nice to the semi-poor boy. It could be worse you know. At least he's cute."

Barbara had to raise an eyebrow.

"You aren't blind Barbara. And don't give me that look. I'm thirty-seven years with . . ."

"Three kids." Barbara said finishing her sentence. "I don't care what he is or, how he is, it doesn't matter."

"And why is that?" Kelly asked.

Barbara went back and forth on whether or not she should answer that question.

"Come on." Kelly encouraged.

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" Barbara made her promise.

"On my honor as a mother." Kelly said raising her right hand in a boy scout-like fashion.

Barbara let out a breath.

"Okay, so the first time I met him he insulted my dad."

She watched as Kelly started with surprise.

"To your face?" She asked aghast.

"No, I was just in the area when he said it. He didn't know I was there." Barbara explained.

"Does he know that you heard him? What did he say?"

Barbara thought back to the bitter words. They were like acid on her brain.

"Basically, that he isn't going to trust my father from the outset and will assume, until proven wrong, that my dad is going to be bad at his job." Barbara crossed her

arms at the end of her speech.

A frown crossed Kelly's face.

"I don't know how much you can hold that against him Barbara, unfortunately. . ."

"He was practically three minutes away from actually meeting my father, could he at least of withheld judgment till then? And what is with everyone in this town.

Does nobody have any sort of faith in anyone in this town?" Barbara shot out exhaustedly.

Kelly sighed and stared out the window.

"Hard to say hon." She picked up her cup of coffee. "Did he apologize?"

"Of course he did when he found out."

"But you didn't forgive him?" Kelly inferred.

"Of course not!" Barbara exclaimed. "He couldn't even do that properly. It wasn't like he felt that what he said was wrong or that he legitimately changed his mind.

He was just apologizing for the sake of it."

Barbara felt herself getting riled up so she tried to calm herself down. She looked back over a Kelly who was biting back a smile.

"I feel like I'm in a sitcom." Kelly said.

Barbara felt like she was in a bad dream.

* * *

Dick tried the phone number one more time. No answer.

He shoved his own phone back in his pocket with frustration.

Talking himself back into it, he pulled it back out re-dialed.

This time she picked up.

"Hello?" The confused voice said.

Dick couldn't help himself.

"Hey, you _do _pick up." He said.

The line was quiet.

"Dick?" Barbara guessed. "How did you get my number?" She demanded to know.

"Kelly." He said shortly. He heard Barbara mutter something under her breath. "Sorry to bug you, but I realized after I left the cafeteria that I didn't talk to you

about . . ."

"About what?" Barbara broke in tersely.

He waited for it.

"Oh, about . . . yeah."

Her tone indicated that she was no more excited about this than he was. He had guessed as much. He _did _mean to ask her about it in the cafeteria, but somehow

once he got over there, he didn't know what to say. He felt tongue tied. Which was odd for him.

"You don't have to." She informed him.

Dick gave a sigh.

"If you think Alfred would let me out of this, you would be crazy." He told her.

Alfred would not let him back out of this now no matter what. It would have to take a huge crisis for him to be allowed to bale.

"I mean," She continued. "I know it's not your thing. Despite what Alfred said."

Dick stopped walking.

"What did he say?" He dared to ask her.

There was a pause, like she was amused at his discovery.

"I don't remember it perfectly, but something about you being glad to go or something." She said.

Dick put a hand to his face.

"An opera means singing people. I don't do singing people and he knows it." Dick told her.

"But it's _The Magic Flute_! It's lovely and wonderful." She said sounding a bit offended.

"I mean no offense." Dick explained trying to be careful. "I'm just saying." He gave a sigh.

People would never believe how much trouble Alfred could cause.

"Okay so, case in point, what time do you want me to get you?" He asked.

"Oh, like a little before seven I guess. Do you know where I live?"

"Some 'tree' named street right? Like oak or maple . . ." He rattled off.

"Chestnut." She corrected him. "It's a one story brick house. It has a bay window and has some ivy growing on one side."

Dick knew the street, but he hadn't been down there in a while.

"Okay, I have a vague idea. I'll see you then." He said.

Her response took a minute.

"Okay."

Her tone made it sound like she had just agreed on what to eat for her last meal.

Dick couldn't help but feel the same way.

They were both in for a long night that coming Thursday.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **According to the all-knowing internet, a deputy commissioner is a real position. What they do

or their purpose I have no idea, it just suited my needs.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **I was going to update earlier, but I kind of forgot. :/ (Bad me)

**Let's See Here . . .**

**MissDarcy: **Thank you, thank you, thank you, wow, thank you, thank you and I will.

**AnonymousInternetNinja****: **There is not a better character on the planet than Alfred. Thanks.

**Grayson: **Sorry to leave you hanging—thanks a bunch.

**Galle: **Thanks :)

**LordOfTheBooks****: **I loooove Gershwin. I actually went to a concert of his music around the time I was writing this

so I just threw him in here.

**LordOfTheBooks****: **I have now! I'll try to update again sooner next time. :)

**Disclaimer: **I own Batman like I control the weather—seriously can it warm up some? It's April!

* * *

Chapter Ten: First Contact, First Step

Gordon looked over the last of the reports for the Wednesday evening.

He thought by now that he had seen everything in the police world. This city was proving him wrong.

He looked over a few reports that Baxby had turned in. The man was certainly aiming to please. Maybe a bit too much in Gordon's opinion.

But he wasn't going to fault the man for working hard.

Gordon turned to the last page.

Thankfully, it only contained two more paragraphs.

Then it happened—that feeling again. This time Gordon had made up his mind. Without looking behind him, he got up and exited his office. He stopped outside at

one of the night officer's desks.

"Ah, Jettson, I'm going to get a breath of air. If anyone needs me immediately have them ring my phone, but I shouldn't be gone long."

"No problem sir." Jettson replied as he looked up from his computer.

Gordon walked over to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button. It came quickly.

Once again the door opened on the upper floor. No one was to be seen, but it was after normal hours.

Taking the key out of his pocket, Gordon fitted it into the lock of the escape door.

He opened the door and started the climb up. He pulled his jacket around himself tighter. The wind was calm but the air was cooler. Gordon doubled checked that his

gun was still in shoulder holster. It was.

It was a dark night. The moon didn't help much, as it tried to shine through the smog of the city. Lights from office buildings shown like stars in the distance.

He walked to the center of the roof not knowing what to do next.

Should he say something? What would he say?

The feeling remained. Whoever was watching him was here.

Gordon took a breath and exhaled.

"You know. I find being watched irritating. The hair on the back of my neck refuses to sit back down." He spoke aloud into the night.

He waited for a response. None came.

Gordon buried his hands deeper into his jacket pockets. He was going to need to pull out his gloves soon for some of these late nights.

"The best way to judge someone is to watch how they act when they think no one is." Came a dark

sounding reply.

Gordon felt himself freeze. The voice was coming from behind him. He decided not to turn around.

"Most people prefer to talk to understand people." He said out into the darkness again.

"People can hide what they think, but they can't hide what they do."

Gordon gave a nod to the words.

"That's usually true." He said. "But not always."

There was more silence.

Gordon swallowed. What should he do now?

"So can I do something for you?" The Commissioner decided to say.

"Perhaps." Came the response. "It depends."

"On what?" Gordon asked now feeling bolder.

"If you mean what you say."

"If I can be trusted?" Gordon surmised out loud. He felt the urge to turn around, but fought it.

"It has been a long time since a decent man has held the position that you do now." The voice told him.

Gordon nodded.

"Yes, I know a bit about that. So what do I do? How does this work?" He asked.

"We'll have to see." Was the response.

"Am I allowed a question?" Gordon dared to ask.

The voice didn't say either way.

"Who all know about this? About . . . you." He said carefully.

"That I help the commissioner? Just you now. Many people have made guesses but none have absolute proof."

For some reason, Gordon wasn't afraid of the voice talking. Although, he was fairly certain that he didn't want to get on this guy's bad side. Whoever he was.

"So you work through the very top. How can you guarantee that I don't say anything?" Gordon paused to consider his own question. "I guess I would sound like a

nut. Despite all the rumors." He mused. "Can you tell me anything about Baxby?" Gordon asked suddenly.

"You can't trust him." The voice said after a minute.

Gordon had to raise an eyebrow.

"You have any proof of that?"

"If I did, would he still work here?" The voice charged.

"So what you are telling me is that I can't trust one of my own men, but I am supposed to trust you?" Gordon said. "That doesn't seem right."

The voice said nothing.

Gordon stopped to rub his hands together.

"So now what?" He asked. The feeling was gone.

He turned around. There was no one. Just an empty roof.

"Maybe I made him mad." He said quietly to himself.

Gordon got off the roof and headed back down to his office.

When he got home, the only light on was a lamp in the living room. He could see the light through the shut curtains.

Letting himself in, he found Barbara in bed and asleep. He thought about waking her up and telling her but quickly dismissed it. He could tell her in the morning.

* * *

"Morning. I was getting close to waking you up."

Barbara smiled at her father's greeting. She yawned.

"All the words in my textbook were starting to run together, so I decided to shut the light off and go to bed a bit earlier." She explained.

"Sorry I was out so late last night. Just couldn't seem to find a good place to stop."

She waved a hand of dismissal.

"It's alright. There is still some soup in the fridge if you want to take it with you today."

"I will grab some before I go." He told her.

She sat down across from him and poured herself some coffee in a red mug.

"Do you want anything in particular for dinner tonight?" She asked.

"No." He shook his head. "I'm going out tonight, as are you."

Barbara set her mug down heavily.

"And good feeling gone." She muttered.

Her father shook his head and ignored the remark.

"You'll have fun. You love _The Magic Flute_."

"Yea, I know." She said as she looked up at the clock.

She had forgotten that it had become Thursday. Or as she had begun to refer to it privately, 'the day of doom'.

"You want to hear something interesting?" Her father asked knowing full well that she would.

"Sure." She said picking up that it was something that she would like to hear.

"Well, as I worked last night I got that feeling again." He started.

He watched as his daughter scooted a bit forward her eyes growing a bit wider.

"So I went up on the roof." He continued. "And I decided to say something. And to my surprise . . ." He looked over at Barbara who motioned for him to hurry up

and say it.

"I got a response."

Barbara took in a breath.

"What did you say? What did he say? Did you see him? Was there more than one person? What . . ."

"Hold on. I never actually saw him. It was just a voice. A deep one. Crisp and exact." He explained further.

"But what did he say?" Barbara pressed.

"Well, it wasn't that long of a conversation. Basically, that he isn't going to do anything until he knows that he can trust me." He father said.

Barbara crossed her arms. This town had major trust issues and it was starting to get on her nerves. First Dick, now . . .Batman?

"So you're just supposed to trust him?" Barbara questioned feeling annoyed.

Her father gave a shrug.

"That's what I asked him."

"What did he say?" She said.

"Nothing. He was gone."

Barbara leaned back in her chair thinking.

"Rumors say that he works with the police department." She reminded her father.

"He told me that the only person who really knew about him was me." Gordon told her.

"So he works directly with the commissioner." Barbara mused.

"Or it could just be some crazy person. This town is full of them, trust me." He told her.

"A crazy person who climbs the roof?" Barbara asked.

"Yea, I don't know quite how he's doing that." Gordon said with a bit of wonder. "But if he is the person that you read about. The person who takes down the crooks

before the police can. Maybe he has a bit of a point."

"What, that you can trust him despite the fact that he doesn't think that he can trust you?" Barbara said in disbelief.

"Who did you say was considered the 'best' commissioner of late?"

"Williams." She told him.

"Maybe I should start looking into him. If he worked with . . . Batman . . ." He father said feeling odd talking about it in a real life sense, "Maybe there is something I

can learn from him."

"He's dead." Barbara reminded him.

"I know. But his case files are still around. I can start looking into how cases got solved and whether or not anything odd happened with him. Some of the older guys

on the force should remember him. I'll just make it sound like I'm interested in the history of it or something." Gordon explained.

"You should ask that guy. The deputy . . . whatever his title is." Barbara said.

Gordon bit his lip.

"I was told not to trust him." He said simply.

"By Batman?" Barbara said curiously. "But why?"

"He wouldn't say." Her father said thoughtfully. "You better get ready for school kiddo. I've got to get going too." He said standing up and washing his cup out in the

sink.

Barbara sat there fuming. What was wrong with the people in this town? Was everyone guilty until proven innocent? How could people think that way?

* * *

As soon as Dick sat down for breakfast, Bruce said.

"I've decided that for tonight I'm going to have us . . ."

"No can do." Dick broke in.

The newspaper, from which behind Bruce was reading, was lowered.

"I'm sorry?" He asked Dick using a tone that indicated that the response that he had given was not satisfactory.

Dick smiled.

"Nope, tonight I am booked. Volunteered actually. See Alfred for details." He said, finding it amusing that he had not mentioned anything to Bruce about tonight.

As soon as Alfred came into the room carrying Dick's breakfast, Bruce gave him a sharp look.

"Alfred, what did you 'volunteer' Dick for?" He asked pointedly.

"Well," Alfred began. "Since the concern is for Master Richard to be able to observe Miss Gordon . . ."

Dick rolled his eyes. Alfred was going the diplomatic route.

"I was talking with the Commissioner when he was here the other day, and he mentioned how he had been planning on going to see an opera with his daughter and

how he no longer could go so I . . ."

Bruce cut Alfred off.

"You volunteered Dick." He said finishing the butler sentence. He looked over at Dick.

"I thought she didn't like you." He stated.

"She doesn't." Dick replied shortly.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He then folded up the newspaper.

"Would you say that both of you have made up your minds on them?" He asked them both.

Dick took a stab at a piece of pineapple.

"Yes." Alfred said immediately.

"Practically." Dick finally chose to say.

"Then let me tell you this. Last night, I spoke to Gordon." Bruce said in a nonchalant way.

Dick's mouth fell open.

"You what?" He asked. "You actually talked to him? Isn't that breaking on of your rules? Why didn't you let me come? Nothing else was really going on in town. I

would have be . . ."

"It wasn't planned. I was observing him and he came out onto the roof again." Bruce responded breaking into Dick's questions.

"Did he shoot at you? Remember when Commissioner Tomik did that? It was so fu . . ." Receiving a look from Bruce, Dick stopped talking.

"He was surprisingly calm."

"He must have been doing some research." Dick commented. "Smart man."

"Even having some sort of knowledge doesn't make the first meeting easier." Bruce said.

"So what happened? Don't leave me in suspense." Dick said eagerly.

Even Alfred seemed curious to hear the news.

"Well," Bruce began. "He seemed cautious, but interested."

"So does that mean that _you _made up your mind?" Dick asked.

Bruce tapped his fingers across the table.

"I would say that I trust him up to a point. Let's not forget that he is still new to this city. He hasn't been tested yet or even, shall we say, tempted. On that note,

Baxby is back in town."

Dick groaned.

"I was hoping that he would just stay gone for good." He said.

"Not yet. We are going to have to play this carefully. He'll be close to Gordon. We have to keep an eye on him." Bruce said.

"Which one? Gordon or Baxby?" Dick questioned.

"Both. I don't want to give Baxby the upper hand just because Gordon is new. I told Gordon last night not to trust Baxby so I hope he at least has a seed of doubt in

his mind." Bruce answered.

"Well, have fun with that. Some of us have to go to school." Dick said pushing his chair back. "I'll see you later."

* * *

It must have been a non-spoken mutual agreement, for that entire school day neither Dick nor Barbara talked to one another. In fact, both of them were completely

blocking what was planned for the night ahead of them out of their minds.

Barbara had almost managed not to think of it the entire school day until Kelly _had _to say something to her in the hall between classes.

"Barbara hold up!"

Barbara turned around in the sea of people to watch Kelly weave through the masses to get to her.

"Hey." Barbara greeted her.

"So do you know what you are going to wear tonight?" She asked Barbara with a gleam in her eye.

Barbara slumped.

"Kelly!" She chastised. "I was doing great so far at not remembering! I haven't thought about it since breakfast and now, you bring it up and . . ."

Kelly started laughing. By now, Barbara was used to this.

"You are so dramatic Barbara. Honestly, you are perfectly sensible and reasonable in every other area except him." Kelly said still grinning. "And you must have

_some _idea of what you are wearing. No girl would put it off till the last minute no matter what who she was going with."

"Okay, fine. I know. Sort of." Barbara admitted.

Kelly beamed.

"You will _have _to send me a picture of you two." She said.

Barbara's eyes grew wide.

"Are you crazy? No way!"

"I swear I will not put it on the internet." Kelly promised.

"Not going to happen." Barbara said in response.

"Oh, come on. I'll be home all evening with a sick kid, you could at least brighten my day. I feel like a mother with a kid going to prom." Kelly said.

Barbara shook her head. She was not going to let Kelly guilt-trip her.

Kelly sighed.

"Okay, fine. Just try to have fun okay?" She told Barbara sincerely.

"Fine." Barbara muttered under her breath.

"That's a good girl now run along to class or you will be late." Kelly instructed with a perfect mothering voice.

Barbara had to smile as she turned around and joined the mass of moving people.

She and Dick didn't even make eye contact their entire class period. But he hummed though—the entire time. She wanted to throw a notebook at him.

* * *

Several classes and hours later, Alfred knocked on Dick's bedroom door. It took a bit of work, but eventually he was allowed in.

He found Dick lying on his bed with a pillow over his face.

"I'm sorry. Were you trying to rest?" He asked quietly as Dick lifted his head.

"No. I was considering suffocation though." He replied in a half joking manner.

Alfred lifted an eyebrow.

"That is not amusing. It would be a waste of life." He said stiffly.

"And now that I think of it, a waste of a good pillow." Dick said in a brighter tone. He yawned. "But now that you say that, I was getting a bit sleepy.

"Well, you had better start getting ready." Alfred instructed. This caused Dick to stare at the clock. He let out a groan.

"I would rather be out chasing a super villain in the pouring rain than do this."

"Really?" Alfred said challengingly.

"No." Dick admitted. "I guess not." He said getting up and stretching.

"Master Richard, do you know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is?" Alfred asked as he watched him go to the closet.

"Ah, a prophecy that is self-fulfilling?" Dick said. His voice coming out of the closet.

Alfred knew that he was teasing and gave him a good glare as he came out.

Dick gave in.

"No, Alfred. I do not know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is." He said.

"I supposed that in simple terms it is the idea that if you think bad things are going to happen, that there is a greater chance that they _will _be. And likewise, if you

think good things are going to happen, then there is a greater chance that _they _will." Alfred explained.

Dick looked unconvinced.

"Sounds like a large mind game." He responded.

"Indeed." Alfred agreed. He stared at him. "Really Master Dick, all you need to do is to take one step forward. One single step . . . and don't open your mouth and

say whatever you said to her that first time." He ordered.

Dick looked hurt.

"Who said I said anyth . . ."

Alfred held up a hand. Dick stopped his rebuttal instantly.

"One step forward alright? Just a step."

* * *

Barbara, for the fourth time of the evening, was fed up with her hair. It was like it was intentionally working against her.

Hearing one of her grumbles, her father knocked on the door.

"Anything I can do?" He asked hesitantly.

Barbara stood up and opened the door to let him in.

"At this point, nothing will help. This is why I always wear my hair down. Mom was the only one that could ever get it to do anything." She complained to him as she

sat back down.

"Well, you look perfect. I'm sorry that I can't help with the hair. The last time I did it I got yelled at." He said with a smile.

"What happened?" Barbara asked since she could not recall.

"You were in third or fourth grade or something and your mother was filling in for someone at her work so that left me to get you ready. Apparently, the pig tails I

gave you that day weren't symmetrical or something. I can still hear you mother's voice when I brought you home for the day. 'Jim, you did not let our daughter go

to school that way did you?'" Gordon started laughing. "I was banned from your hair from that day on." He told her.

Barbara smiled, letting her head rest on her hand as it balanced on the back of the chair. She turned back around and looked into the mirror.

"Fine. I will just pull some of it back with a nice barrette." She declared as she grabbed a comb. She turned around to look at her father.

"You look nice too Dad. I wish we could go look nice together at the same place." She added.

He gave her a soft smile.

"To be honest." He admitted. "I'm kind of nervous. I feel like I'm going to see the principle or something."

"You'll be fine." Barbara said encouragingly. "Find out what you can, while guarding what you know."

"Wise words." He said leaning down to kiss her head. "Are you sure you're fine if I leave?" He asked her again.

She nodded.

"Go ahead. I'll see you tonight okay? Have fun. Don't forget your briefcase." She reminded him.

"Will do." He told her. "And you have fun too, okay?"

Barbara settled for a nod as a response and giving one last smile to her dad, she watched him leave the room and after a minute or two she heard the door slam

shut.

_Fun? _ She doubted that it was in the cards.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Not the most exciting chapter in the world here. . . but good stuff is coming . . .

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Okay, true to my word I have updated earlier than I normally do. (Don't get used to it :}) This chapter contains some made-up back story, so bear with me.

**Let's See Here:**

**AnonymousInternetNinja****: **Here we go!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned any Batman characters or any operas by Mozart I would probably be set for life. But I'm don't, so I'm not.

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Careful steps, Old Memories

The doorbell rang at exactly two minutes before seven. Barbara gave him points for promptness, but not too many.

She hastily grabbed her coat and slid into her shoes. She hoped that it wasn't too cold out, but it was getting colder every day. She put her hand on the doorknob

and tried to remind herself that she was going to try and not say anything rude to him. It was going to take a lot of willpower.

The doorbell rang again startling her.

"Oh, sorry." She said as she swung it open.

"It's okay. I was just hoping that I didn't have the wrong house, because that would be awkward." He said with a smile.

He was already bundled up in a nice black coat.

"Yea." Barbara replied as she decided that it was a safe response.

A cool light breeze was out that made her wish that she didn't have to leave at all.

"Ready?" He said after a minute.

She shrugged because saying 'yes' would have been a lie.

They walked down to the driveway where his yellow Camaro stood waiting. This time, he politely got the car door for her.

* * *

The drive to the opera house started out as a quite one. It didn't end that way.

Four minutes into the drive, Barbara asked. "Do you know where the mayor lives?"

Dick gave her a quick glance before answering.

"Ah, yea. East side of town, large brick home." He said. "Well, maybe you wouldn't think that it was a home." He added.

Barbara's mouth came open as she realized his jab.

Dick realized the slip of his tongue the moment she did.

"Okay, forget I said that." He said hastily.

Five minutes into driving and his mouth had done it again. Alfred was going to have his head.

"It's a little hard." Barbara said harshly.

She could not believe that he had said that. She was doing fine so far at not saying anything divisive and then _he _had to go and say something.

"Well, at least the mayor has one." She shot back without thinking.

She gave a small gasp as she realized her own slip.

Dick brought the car to a halt in the middle of the road.

"How about this." He said turning in his seat to face her.

"You can't stop in the street like this!" Barbara told him as the car behind them honked.

"How about this." He repeated.

"What?" She asked exasperatedly.

"At any time tonight, if either of us say anything that we wish we could take back, all we have to say is 'strike that from the record' and the other one of us has to

forget it." He said.

"Strike that from the record?" She repeated.

He nodded.

"Yea, like we're in a courtroom. That's what they say right? I've only seen it on TV." He explained.

Barbara scratched her head.

"I guess so." She said after a second.

The car behind them honked again.

She looked straight at him.

"Okay deal." She said. It wasn't a half bad idea.

He quirked a smile, and continued driving.

They stayed silent for the rest of the drive. Both of them were thankful for this because, at the moment, neither of them trusted themselves to say anything.

* * *

After many more miles, Dick spoke up.

"Hey, do you mind if I park somewhere around here?" He asked.

"That's fine." Barbara said. "I don't mind walking for a bit."

After a few minutes, he pulled into a parking garage. Barbara knew from her exploring of the town, that they were only a few blocks from the opera house.

As soon as he opened her door, a chilly breeze met her.

"Brrr. It is getting to be that time of year isn't it?" She said.

"Yep. Nights are getting colder." He added. Few people knew that better than him.

They walked out together and onto the sidewalk. There, they joined various groups on people on their way to the opera as well.

Barbara was bristling with excitement. She couldn't believe that she was finally going to see this!

As they rounded a corner of the street, Barbara paused to take in the view. A beautiful building lay stretched out in front of them lighting up the evening sky like a

glittering jewel.

"You coming?"

Barbara snapped out of her trance to notice that Dick was now a few feet ahead of her. He had paused and now was watching her.

"Sorry." Barbara said as she picked up her pace.

The large crowd outside the door was quickly dissipated as everyone walked in every direction.

As Barbara took her first step through the door, her breath caught as she looked around.

It was perfect. Spiraling staircases covered in rich red velvet curved up and down off of the main level.

Beautiful crystal chandeliers shaped like starbursts descended from above giving off perfect light. Solid oak benches sat up against the rails of the stairways and

underneath the large windows.

"Hey Barbara? Your coat?" A voice out of nowhere said.

"Oh, yea." She muttered as she tried to shrug her coat off. A pair of hands helped her. "Thanks." She said as she turned around.

She found Dick, whose own coat had already been taken, dressed in perfectly fitting tuxedo.

He was staring into her coat which he was now holding.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

He looked up at her with a strange look on his face.

"Where is your other sleeve?" He asked.

She paused. "It's a one sleeve dress." She informed him.

She looked down at herself. She hadn't worn this one for a while, but it was nice. All black with a slight ruffle along the top edge that flowed down across her front

and off to one side.

Looking back over at him, she found him still looking dumbfounded.

"Are you serious? That blows my mind." He said still looking confused.

"I not surprised it takes that much." Barbara said now feeling annoyed.

Dick's eyes flashed with a surprised look.

"Strike that from the record." She said with her next breath.

He gave her a nod and a smile as he turned around and handed her coat over to the gentleman waiting nearby.

Barbara turned to look over the stairway and gather her thoughts again.

* * *

Dick walked up behind her and watched as she gazed every which way around the room.

"Would you quit gawking and come on?" He said in a teasing tone. At least, he hoped that she would pick up on the teasing part.

She turned around to face him. Her face was lit with wonder. Her eyes were sparkling.

"How can you not?" She replied seriously.

Dick gave a sigh.

"Because I've been here a gazillion times." He told her honestly.

"That's not a real number." She informed him dryly.

"Sure it is." He told her with a grin as he motioned in the direction that they should walk. "One gazillion, two gazillion, three . . ." He stopped as she paused again.

This time to stare back down the stairs.

More people were coming in and milling about.

She was really into this.

"I wish I could see back in time. You know? When all the ladies wore long dresses and had elbow length white gloves and men wore top hats?" She said.

Dick raised an eyebrow, but decided to say nothing.

"Hey." She said turning around to face him. "Do you know where we are going because I never told you the seats my tickets were for."

"It doesn't matter because we are not going to sit there." He informed her as he began to ascend up the stairs again. He waited for her to say something.

"What do you mean?" She asked him. He turned to stare at her.

Her eyes were slightly hard like she thought he was up to something. Dick walked back down to the level on which she stood.

"You see Miss Gordon. You are in luck, because Bruce keeps a permanent box here." He told her.

Barbara's eyes lit up in such a way that Dick wished there was something that he could do to cause them to light up for him.

"Are you . . ." She began to say.

"Kidding? Nope. Like I told you. A gazillion times. Come on." He said. She eagerly followed.

"I can't believe it. I've never actually sat in one. I mean my family took a tour of an opera house once and I got to sit in one for like three minutes, but still!" She

said excitedly.

"Well, now you can sit there for much longer." He promised her. "Much, much, longer. How long is this thing anyway?"

She gave him a look.

"You can't go into this thing with such a negative attitude." She told him. "Believe that you are going to like it and let yourself be interested in the story."

Dick thought about this.

"Do you know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is?" He asked her.

"What?" Was her confused response.

"Never mind." Dick waved her off. "Come on."

* * *

They slowly made their way up more stairs. Barbara didn't want to take the elevator because then she couldn't look at things on the way up.

And look she did.

Dick couldn't help but grin and patiently wait every time she stopped to look at something. Whether it was a piece of art on the walls or the color of another woman's

dress, Barbara was interested in it all.

"Sorry." She said as she caught up with him again.

"It's okay." He said with a shrug.

"My mom would absolutely love it here." Barbara said with a small private smile. "We would be gawking together I assure you." She added letting her hand slide up

the hand rail as they began to walk again.

They entered a hallway and passed a few more people. Dick paused outside of a door. He stopped to read the numbers that were embossed onto the brass plate

that identified which booth it was.

"You want to open the door?" He offered her knowing that she would want to.

She nodded eagerly and walked over. She put her hand on the knob and waited a moment before opening it up.

She opened it a crack and stuck her head in.

Barbara stared at the large red curtain that was pulled across the stage. Everything here was in massive scale. Any other theater that she had been in looked like

child's playroom.

"Can I come in too?" She heard Dick's voice behind her say. She wordlessly moved aside so he could come in.

She walked forward to the edge of the balcony's rail and looked down.

There were hundreds of people sitting below. The sounds of their talking wafted up to where she stood. She couldn't believe this was real.

"So what do you think?" Dick asked resting his arms across the rail beside her.

"It's amazing. My dad is definitely going to come see this." She told him.

Dick plopped down in a seat.

"Does he like this kind of stuff?" He asked.

Barbara shook her head.

"Nope. But he would always go with my mom and me. He would even pretend to be interested." She said. She turned to face him and glanced at the other available

seats.

"Pick whatever." He told her.

Barbara picked the one next to him.

"I'm so excited." She said sitting down.

Dick shook his head not understanding her fascination.

"Here" He handed her the program guide.

Barbara took it from him and opened it up.

Dick sat back in his chair and watched her.

"You know what the best part is?" She said suddenly. "It's when the lights dim and everyone gets quiet. And then you hold breath and wait for everything to unfold."

* * *

And it did, just like she said. After several more minutes, the lights dimmed and everyone went silent.

He could see her grinning in the dim lighting.

Too be honest, after an hour he was starting to get sleepy, but something kept him awake.

He was intrigued by watching Barbara's face.

When he had been in the circus, watching the faces of the audience was fun. Watching them as they saw for the first time, things that you had seen every

day—seeing their surprise and amazement—that never got old.

Watching Barbara was the same way. Every happy moment, every serious moment, played out on her face.

He didn't even realize when the lights came up at admission.

Barbara turned to face Dick.

"Isn't that great? I love when . . ." She stopped as she realized that he was still looking at her. Throughout the first half of the opera she had noticed that every time

she went to look at him, he was already looking at her.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked briskly.

He blinked like he was coming out of a dream and sat up a bit straighter.

"I was just watching your face." He said softly.

Barbara felt her face grow warm.

"Why?" She asked, not quite knowing how to take it.

He shrugged.

"It's just interesting to watch someone's face when they are watching a show. The emotions that play out." He explained softly.

The noise level in the building rose as people began once again to move around.

His eyes got wider for a second as if he realized what he said.

"Sorry, I'm rambling, never mind." He said with a wave of his hand. He shifted in his seat. Barbara turned her face away to stare back at the audience. Dick stood

up and stretched. He walked over to the rail and leaned his elbows against it.

Barbara stared at the back of him and tried to guess what he was thinking about. It wasn't like him to be quiet. She fiddled with her program guide.

"So how many things like this have you seen?" She decided to ask him. "I mean besides a gazillion. Do you remember any titles?"

He turned around to face her.

"Nope. In one ear and out the other. But I have seen a ton." He told her honestly.

Barbara shook her head.

"How can you not remember? I mean, sure you might not be interested in all of them, but do you even remember a part, a song, anything?" She said.

He leaned his back against the rail and gave her a smile. "Not really." He said with a shrug.

Barbara had to raise an eyebrow.

"You aren't impressed easily are you?" She questioned. How could none of the shows here have any interest for him? None? That was hard to believe.

"When you grow up with people who eat fire for a living, it's kind of hard to be impressed by much else." He said suddenly.

Barbara stopped to consider this. She had never really thought of that. He had been part of a circus when he was a boy. The circus with its acrobats, elephants, and

daredevils—it was supposed to be the greatest show on earth. What was singing people compared to that?

"Barbara?" He asked after a minute.

She looked up quickly and found herself staring into his blue eyes.

"Ye . . . yes?" She asked startled.

"I think one of the shows had the word 'pirates' in it." He said out of the blue.

"_The Pirates of Penzance?_" She guessed with a slight smile.

"Maybe." He said as he plopped back down in his seat. "Not enough sword fighting or parrots." He commented.

* * *

Barbara shook her head while fighting a grin. She could tell that he was joking now.

He always managed to seem so lighthearted, so easy going. It was like his natural state.

"Are you ever unhappy?" She asked hearing the words come out of her mouth before she could stop them.

He seemed surprised by the question, but answered quickly.

"Sure." He told her. "I was a Wednesday, few weeks ago."

"It happens so little that you can even remember the last time you were?" Barbara asked. "Most people get unhappy about something every day."

'I guess I handle things better than others or maybe I'm just better at hiding it." He said. "Do you want to know what I do when I get mad?"

She shook her head.

"I run away." He continued.

"What?" She questioned with some disbelief.

"There is this hill, well kind of hill, outside of town and I always drive there and sit on top of it. If it's late in the evening I wait and watch the stars come out. You

can't see the stars too well from the Manor. Too many city lights and smog." He explained.

Barbara sat there thoughtfully and decided that she should say something too.

"You know when I get mad, I use larger words. My dad says it's like normal words aren't enough to contain my anger." She added with a small laugh.

Dick cocked his head.

"Oh, you mean like, 'I knew you weren't there for your own personal advancement?'" He said quoting from memory.

Barbara bit her lip as he spoke.

"When did I say that?" She asked since she didn't remember.

"When we first ran into each other at school." He told her.

She tried to remember. Was that what she said? It sounded right. Now she felt sheepish for saying it. She scrunched her hands up on her lap.

"Oh, yea. I guess I shouldn't have said that." She admitted quietly.

Dick rested his chin on his hand and looked back over to the stage.

People had begun to filter back in for the second half of the performance.

"I guess we both have big mouths sometimes." He added softly.

And there it was, laid out before them—the topic of all avoidance.

Barbara stared at her hands that lay in her lap. She was unsure of what to say next. Maybe she _was_ being stubborn, but what kind of girl let someone insult her own

fa . . .

The lights dimmed.

"Show time." Dick whispered over to her before she could say anything.

The audience became quiet.

"Try to actually watch this time." She said lightly teasing. "You'll get more out of it."

He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and settled in against his chair.

"It's not my fault. I'm used to being part of the show."

He said this part quietly and Barbara felt that she wasn't supposed to have heard it.

She focused on the stage as the lights came up and the scene lay before them.

* * *

Sometime later—quite honestly it was hard to tell, Dick felt someone shaking his shoulder.

"You are going to miss the end!" He heard a voice say.

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes to realize that the opera was about over.

Barbara took her hand off his shoulder and leaned forward in her seat to get the best look at the final scene.

He watched her with a smile.

"So good won out huh?" He asked.

"As it should be." Barbara replied without looking at him.

The curtain closed as the lights were brought up to thunderous applause.

Dick stretched his arms out to regain feeling in them and glanced at his watch.

"Wow, it's late." He said. Glancing over at Barbara, she was leaning over the rail watching the people leave the theater.

"That was amazing!" He heard her declare. "The Queen of the Night—her aria gets me every time. I can never believe that women can sing that high."

Dick walked over to join her by the rail.

"Yep." He said with a yawn. She looked over unappreciatively at him.

"My mom loved to close her eyes and just listen to it. She said that it was even better that way, just to hear the pure sound." Barbara said thoughtfully. Her eyes

grew glossy.

Dick tapped his fingers against the rail trying to decide something.

He lifted his hand up and placed it on top of hers and gave her hand a squeeze. She quickly pulled her hand back and turned her face away using her hand to rub

her nose.

"Sorry." She apologized. "I didn't mean to get weepy." She ran a hand through her hair as she turned to face him again.

"Don't worry about it." He said easily. "Weird things trigger it sometimes, you know?" He said it from personal experience.

That caused her to nod.

"This is silly, but once when I was a kid, Alfred gave me some peanuts in a bowl and they were still in the shell. I immediately went to tears. My mom _always _took

the peanuts out of the shells for me." He explained. "Poor Alfred had no idea what was wrong."

He looked back over at Barbara who had a sympathetic smile on her face.

"I remember that my mom is no longer here every time my dad leaves the house with a slightly wrinkled suit. She would never let him leave the house looking like

that." She told him with a slight sniffle.

She quickly took in a breath and tried to look happier.

"We should probably leave before they kick us out." She told him.

Dick gave her a smile.

"We can take our time. There are a lot of people here to filter out. It will be packed in the lobby. We can start walking down and I'm sure that you can find something

to look at." He offered.

She nodded and followed him back to the door. She paused once more to look at the view.

"You can always come back." Dick told her.

"I'll have to. My dad didn't come." She informed him as she walked out.

* * *

Dick shook his head and smiled. This girl loved her father.

"He must be the most agreeable person the planet for not putting up a fight every time you drag him these things." He said.

It was a slight misstep. Barbara's eyes narrowed as she didn't pick up on his teasing tone.

He noticed immediately.

"I was joking!" He clarified. "Do you want me to strike it from the record?" He offered as he stopped walking.

"No, it's okay." She said simply. He could tell from her tone that there was a chance it actually wasn't.

He decided to revert back to a safe topic.

"So the only reason he comes was for you and your mom?" He asked.

"Yea, I mean, he doesn't hate coming, but he probably rather spend the time doing something else, but he likes doing things that make us happy." She said in a

better tone.

Doing things to make other people happy—that was one of the best things about family, Dick decided. Maybe it was one of the things that he missed most.

"You guys always look happy." He said softly to her as he remembered seeing them outside on the streets of Gotham that Wednesday.

She gave a shrug.

"We try, but that doesn't mean we don't fight on occasion or get irritated by one another. For instance, my dad always leaves his shoes outside of the closet. The

door is right there, just stick them in!" She exclaimed.

Dick had to give a laugh.

"And my mom always would have to remind both of us to rinse out our coffee cups." Barbara continued. "If you went to the house I can guarantee that there are

mugs still in the sink."

Dick stopped to ponder this. He could not picture any shoes in Wayne Manor not being put into their proper place or any mugs being left in the sink.

Maybe that was what she was talking about the first night she was over. The little things that made a house a home.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked cautiously. "You don't have to answer though."

She raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded for him to ask.

"How did you lose her?" It was a painful question to ask and he hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him for asking it.

"She died from cancer when I was fifteen. We knew we were losing her, but that knowledge didn't help it be any less painful. She never let me see her sad though.

She never wanted for me to see her sad, and although I didn't understand it then, I do now. I never can picture her in her hospital room being sad. She always tried

to have a smile and ask me about my day. I once got frustrated and told her that I didn't want her to feel like she had to smile just for me, but she told me that she

never had to try . . . because I brought the smiles with me."

Barbara ended softly with reserve that Dick admired. He probably would have been in tears if it was him.

A thought flashed through his head: which was worse—seeing your parents die or having to watch as a parent die slowly? He supposed it really didn't matter.

He cleared his throat, chasing away the lump that had formed.

"Let's go get our coats." He said as he led the way into the crowded lobby.

He made her stay off to one side as he weaved through the crown and picked up their coats. It took a few minutes but he made it back and helped her put it on.

"Thanks." She said giving him a smile after she finished buttoning it up.

Dick paused.

A real smile. One just for him.

"Are you okay?" She asked him since he stood there oddly frozen.

"Sure." He said quickly as he slid his own coat on.

In those few seconds, Dick had decided on some things: one was that Barbara Gordon was beautiful, the other—he loved to make her smile.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **If I didn't ramble on enough about the appearance of the opera house—feel free to look up pictures of the Metropolitan Opera House since I

used it for inspiration. If you really want to hear an amazing piece of vocals look up the Queen of the Night aria. Diana Damrau is one of the best doing it at the

moment. I still cannot believe women can get their voices to do that.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **This marks our half-way point in this story. It's crowded in here today . . . ;)

**Let's See Here:**

**speedreader1999****: **Thanks for stopping by. :)

**LordOfTheBooks****: **Currently adding that to a list of things I need to check out. Thanks for the suggestion!

**AnonymousInternetNinja**** : **I am such a sucker for the both of them . . . (girlish sigh)

**Hina Kita****: **"even for a little while." How right you are.

**Saphire122****: **Yes, Batman and Robin will be showing up again sometime soon here.

**SkyMyst: **Really, really, wanting to say something, but can't . . . . (Just don't expect everything to sail smoothly this point out yet.) Shoot! I said something.

**3Nightwing3: **Really too floored to say anything besides thank you. Thank you . . . and now I'm scared to death of what you'll think of all the rest. : /

**jdcocoagirl****: **Thanks a bunch!

**Spider Knight****: **Glad to have you on board!

**3Nightwing3: **It's okay. You're very nice. :**)**

**loneravenwolf****: **Thanks for the clarification! That piece just blows my mind.

**1rx4u: **Yea, it's not a flashy everything-happening-at-once story. But I didn't want it to be.

**Disclaimer: **Read my lips: I do not own Batman.

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Opposites, Step-Back

The cold evening air greeted them as they stepped out into the night.

Dick shoved his hands into his pockets to find his gloves as Barbara stepped back to look up at the brightly lit building.

"You ready?" He asked her.

She gave a sigh.

"Yea, I guess." Barbara said reluctantly. She turned back to follow him down the street.

By now, most of the other store fronts were closed, but some the restaurants were still open.

Dick was slightly lost in a dream world and soon realized that he couldn't hear the sound of Barbara's shoes. He stopped and turned around. He was not surprised to

see her looking at something across the street. He walked back down to her.

"What now?" He asked playfully.

"What's over there?" She pointed across the street.

Dick shifted out of the way to let people who were still walking get by easier.

"Ah, a park." Dick answered.

Gotham had several of course, some better than others. This one was pretty nice. Well lit and kept in an orderly fashion. It held a maze of pathways, plants,

fountains, and benches. The front entrance was flanked by a pair of iron gates and bricks.

"Can we go see?" She asked eagerly.

Dick looked across the street with a frown.

"You don't really go walking in this town after dark." He told her gently. He knew it wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.

A flash from her eyes confirmed his guess.

"Oh, come, on. It won't be for long. Besides, we won't go really far, just to the first fountain." She told him with certainty. "We aren't going to get mugged six steps

into the park."

Dick shifted on his feet.

"It's pretty late, and we do have school tomorrow still." He said hoping that this would change her mind.

Her mouth fell open with a look of disbelief.

"You have no right to act more concerned about school then I would be. And if I think it will be fine it must be because few people work as hard as me at it. I don't

expect _you_ to understand that . . . strike that from the record." She said it so quickly together that he almost missed it.

"Okay, okay, you win." He said, now too amused to be mad at the jab.

Barbara stepped out onto the street and looked both ways. It was clear.

They both hurried across and over to the park.

"Wait." Barbara said. "Shouldn't the park be closed?" She asked him as they walked towards the entrance.

"Gotham cops and city workers have more important things to do than to kick people out of parks. They are really only monitored in the day." Dick said as he

followed her in through the gates.

"How do you know that?" She asked him curiously.

"Just from talk. City officials and whatnot." Dick said simply.

It was fact though. He couldn't even number the times Robin had to save someone who had the bad idea to take a short cut through the park.

They walked along a bit more into the park. The hedges looked like they had been recently trimmed.

"They will put lights in the bushes for the Christmas season." He told her.

"Really? What a wonderful idea." Barbara told him. "I'll have to come and see."

They came to a fork in the road. Barbara looked to Dick and he gave her a shrug. She chose the left path.

"How many former police commissioners have you known?" She asked suddenly.

Dick stopped walking. The question was kind of off topic. He quickly decided how he should answer it.

"Ah, whoever was before Williams I guess. He wasn't around very long. I only remember him because. . ." He paused realizing where he was going with this. "He

was the commissioner when my parents died, soon after that, Williams came along. He was nice. He always called me 'kid'. He was the commissioner for a while.

Then came Tomik and then someone with a 'B' name." He said intentionally acting like he couldn't remember.

"Was he a good person? Williams, I mean." She clarified.

"I guess so. I mean I was a kid at a time, so I wasn't interested in the politics of the situation." He explained.

"I don't care about the politics." Barbara said. "I care about the person. Who he was." She said getting a bit testy.

"Okay, okay. Ah, he was nice from what I remember. Alfred could probably tell you more. Like I said I was a kid." Dick added with a shrug. "His wife was really

nice." He stopped talking and gazed up into the dark sky.

To be honest, most of what he remembered of Commissioner Williams was from when he was Robin. He could remember the first time that Bruce let him come

along to the police rooftop to see him.

At first the Commissioner was uneasy about working with Batman, but soon he saw that they could be of help to one another, and it worked out, till tragedy struck.

"So no one has been good after him." Barbara questioned.

"No." Dick said bluntly.

Why was she asking him all this? What was she fishing for? He wanted to get off this subject. He heard Barbara give a gasp and he turned in time to see her run

ahead towards the fountain.

"Babs! Wait up!" He called after her as he tried to catch up.

She stopped suddenly and turned around.

"What did you just call me?"

Dick froze.

"I called you something?"

She stood there with her hands on her hips waiting for him to say something.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I just . . ." He tried to think of something to say. "I guess I was just trying to shorten your name."

She looked unconvinced.

"Barb, is a shortened version of my name." She said fiercely.

"Yea, well, a 'barb' sounds like a negative thing, like something that you prick your finger on." He said.

"What is a ''Babs' then?" She questioned.

"I don't know, it just came out okay? I think that is how nicknames are supposed to work." He said carefully.

* * *

She still looked at him sternly and she tucked her hands under her arms. What was he thinking? He couldn't just give her a random nickname. Especially one that

didn't make sense.

"Did you not bring gloves?" He asked watching her.

"Oh, ah, no, I was going to, but . . . well, it's a silly story." She said shrugging the question off. She could see the interest in his eye.

"Well, then." He stated as he pulled his own gloves off and handed them to her.

"Oh, ah, no you don't . . ." She said as tried to refuse them.

"Nope. Put them on. I want to hear your story. I like silly stories." He said with a grin.

She hesitated, but then decided to tell him.

"Okay." She said taking a breath. She slipped his gloves on and enjoyed the warmth they instantly gave.

"Well, my parents and I were heading out to see a play one winter evening when our neighbor's dog got out. So my family started chasing after it across lawns and

through backyards. Then he jumped a fence and then I jumped the fence. I had my good gloves on at the time and one of them snagged and ripped. I didn't worry

about it at the time.

We finally cornered the dog and had such a laugh that not even my mother minded that I had ripped them. She just said that we would get a new pair." Barbara

paused.

"And I was going to, but soon after that she got sick. We didn't go out anywhere for a while and I just wore other gloves. Now, they are just sitting up in my closet

and every time I get them off the shelf I just look at them and remember the memories. I should get a new pair, but I feel badly for the old pair and I don't want to

throw them away." Barbara gave a short laugh.

"Which is silly, because they are only a pair of gloves. I usually not so sentimental." She said turning around to face him once again.

He was smiling at her and let out a grin.

"Not sentimental?" He repeated. "Then what was all that talking about 'women in white gloves and men in top hats' about? You are completely sentimental!" He told

her.

"Only about the things that matter!" She countered.

She watched him pause in thought. His eyes became soft.

It should really not be allowed for people to have that blue of eyes.

"You are sentimental because it reminds you of your family. It could be anything, a broken pencil or an empty bottle, so it's the memories that you put inside those

gloves that matter." He said softly.

Her mouth hung open slightly. She couldn't believe that anything that poetic could have come out of his mouth.

"Don't act too impressed. Alfred said something like that to me once. I just changed some things around." He informed her. "Hey, so does a one-sleeved dress cost

less than a dress that has both sleeves?" He said completely changing the subject.

"Why can't you let that go?" She questioned.

"I am just asking questions here." He said with a shrug.

"You are really odd." She said before she could stop herself.

He blinked in surprise.

"Odd? Who is telling me this? The girl that talks to houses?" He said starting to laugh.

Barbara bit her lip so as to stop angry words from coming out of her mouth.

Dick seemed to notice her anger immediately.

"Bab . . . I mean Barbara, I'm sorry. I strike it from the record." He said honestly. "I'm not making fun of you it's just that you are so . . . full of . . . I don't know,

life, enthusiasm maybe."

Barbara felt herself calm down.

"You know, it's hard to tell when you are joking and when you are serious." She stated.

"I know, I'm sorry. Sometimes when I don't know what to do, I try to joke my way out of it. It's always how I've been." He explained.

"It's okay." Barbara said sitting down on the edge of the fountain.

Since it was fall, the fountain had been turned off for final cleaning before winter struck. The night was quiet.

It was at this point that Dick decided to say something. He sat down next to her.

"You don't know this, but remember back to a Wednesday when you and your dad went walking around the city?"

Her eye's widened slightly.

"Yea?" She replied.

"I saw you two out on the sidewalk. You two were laughing and telling stories. You reminded me how much I miss all that. You can still make new memories with

your dad; all I'll ever have are my old ones." He stopped talking at that point. He hadn't meant to be that blunt about it.

She was surprisingly quick to respond.

"You mean that last Wednesday when you were unhappy?" She guessed.

Dick was surprised that she remembered that detail. He shrugged.

"Maybe." He said. "I guess I was just jealous."

Barbara shook her head.

"I would have never guessed that there was anything that you could be jealous of me for." She said in amazement.

"Hey," He said tapping her nose. "Don't sell yourself short. You have a lot of great things."

She quickly brought her now gloved hand up and brushed her nose. He was pleased to see a slight blush reach her cheeks.

"You know we could probably be friends if we didn't actually talk to one another." He told her.

She crossed her arms.

"I doubt if we would agree on anything." She said firmly.

Dick got the impression that she was being serious.

"Oh, come on. Let's see. What is the best snack food?" He said randomly.

* * *

Barbara at first thought he was joking, but after a minute she realized that he was waiting for her answer.

She said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Red jello."

"Wrong!" Dick corrected her. "It's popcorn."

"Popcorn?" Barbara repeated.

Dick nodded.

"Yep. Why red jello?" He asked.

"My mom always made red jello." Barbara said with a shrug. "Everybody else's mom had other flavors and colors, but my mom always made red. See? We can't

even agree on that."

"You can't just give up." Dick said.

Barbara could have sworn that there really was a sparkle in his eye.

"Ready?" He asked. "Black." He stated.

Barbara looked confused, but then caught on.

"White." She said.

"Off."

"On."

"Up"

"Down"

"Left"

"Right"

"Wet." He said standing up.

"Dry." She countered as she followed suit.

"Day"

"Night"

"Hot"

"Cold . . ."

* * *

And on and on, all the way out of the park and down the street to the parking garage. By that time, they were having to get creative.

"North America." He said holding open her door.

"South America." She replied.

"Salt water."

"Fresh Water."

"Pasta."

She paused. "Anti . . .you think you are so funny." She told him as he drove to her house.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, they were almost out of ideas.

"Oh, how about matter?" She asked.

"Wait, so anti-matter? And you think that _I'm _the funny one?" He told her.

He stopped to look in the bay window. A light was on.

"Oh, your dad is home." He told her.

She shook her head.

"I don't think so. The car isn't in the driveway. I just leave the light on to deter burglars." She informed him.

He tried not to raise an eyebrow. If only it was that simple, Gotham would be under control.

"Hey, is that the couch from you grandma? The one she forced on your family?" He asked pointing through the window.

"I . . . told you about that?" She said. Surprise crossed her face.

"Sure. In your spiel about homes after we met. And I think the orange tribal pattern is lovely." He said as he watched her fight a smile.

"I think we always intended to have it reupholstered, but we never got around to it." She said shaking her head. "Lemon." She stated.

"Lime." He countered. "Pink." He added.

"What is the opposite of pink?" She asked him.

"I have no idea." He told her honestly.

"How about hot pink?" Barbara said with a smile.

"And you call me odd?" He questioned.

She gave him a grin that crinkled her nose and brought a sparkle to her eyes.

He couldn't help himself.

He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her waist and gently touched his lips to hers.

After a second, he felt her kiss him back as she slid her hand to rest on his forearm.

Encouraged, he kissed her a bit more firmly.

For having such a quick, sharp mouth, she had amazingly soft lips. He instantly found himself lost in them. Carefully bringing a hand up, he cupped her face gently

as they continued to kiss.

That's what broke the dream—his cold ungloved hand against her warm cheek.

Barbara pulled back first suddenly. Both of their eyes came open and their faces flushed with color.

There was dead silence.

* * *

Barbara found her voice first, shaky as it was.

"What . . . why on . . . why did you do that?" She asked with her voice rising with anger.

Dick's eyebrows furrowed.

"What? You can't blame me! You kissed back!" He insisted.

"No I di . . ." Barbara froze as she spoke.

She kissed him back. She did. She had kissed him back. She had kissed the man that had insulted her father.

Her jaw worked a few times trying to say something. She couldn't believe that he had done that. She couldn't believe that _she _had done that!

"Goodnight." She stated abruptly as she turned her back to him.

"Barba . . .:" Was the only thing she heard him say as she quickly opened the door and shut it behind her.

She leaned against the door in disbelief.

What was she thinking?

She looked back into her house. Everything was as it was when she left.

She kicked off her shoes and didn't even stop to put them in the closet.

She realized that her heart was still pounding. Pausing in the hallway, she put her face into her hands and took a deep breath.

She lifted her head and tried to be rational about the whole thing.

"I'm still wearing his gloves!" She said aloud now in a panic. She quickly pulled them off and hastily put them on the kitchen counter as she walked further in.

She stared at them like they were contaminated.

"Shoot, I have to get them back to him." She said biting her lip. She put a hand to her forehead. She couldn't process this right now.

* * *

Unfortunately for Dick, as soon as he got home he ran into Alfred.

"Master Dick!" Alfred called out as soon as he came through the front door.

Dick slightly grimaced.

"Oh, Alfred. Hey. You didn't have to stay up." He told him.

"It's not that late." The butler reminded him. "Plus I wanted to see . . ."

"So I assume Bruce is already at it, I guess I better go join him." Dick said interrupting the Englishman.

Alfred eyed him suspiciously.

"Master Bruce is back at the moment. He came back to check something. Now, how was your . . ."

"Oh, good, well then I guess I better hurry up." Dick said as he hung up his coat and left the hall.

"Master Richard." Alfred said severely.

Dick knew better than to keep walking.

"Yea?" He asked over his shoulder dreading the coming question.

"How was your night?"

Dick bit his lip. Alfred was never one to beat around the bush.

"Well, I took a step forward . . ." Dick said trying to be cheerful.

Alfred started to smile.

"But then I had to take seventeen steps back." Dick added.

Alfred's smile fell.

"Seventeen?!" He repeated with some alarm. "What on earth did you say to her?" Alfred said briskly.

Dick knew he had to tread carefully. An upset Alfred was not a good thing.

"I didn't say anything." He responded cautiously. He gave a sigh. "Everything unraveled, my head hurts, but I've made up my mind about something." He added

firmly.

Alfred was silent as he watched Dick with interest.

"You said Bruce was back?" Dick repeated.

Alfred nodded.

Dick started walking and Alfred followed. The hidden button to the Batcave was pushing and Dick undid his bowtie as he walked down the long stairs.

Bruce was still there in full Batman get up minus the mask.

"Good, your back." Was the greeting Dick received from him. "We need to go . . ."

"I would like to make a report." Dick said abruptly.

Bruce turned around to face him.

"Officially?" Bruce asked. "On the Gordons?"

Dick nodded.

"Alright." Bruce said simply.

"I think that we have absolutely nothing to worry about with him. I think that he is going to be fine. There is just something genuine about them, something real. He,

well, both of them really are going to do the best they can for this town." Dick said.

Bruce gave a slight 'hmp' noise.

"I thought they didn't make that kind anymore." He said darkly.

"See _that _is where the problem lies." Dick said pointedly. "The problem lies with _us_. We don't expect those people to exist anymore. Ever since Commissioner

Williams died, we have been on this train of thought that no one else can be trusted—that no one is worthy of trust. Because, apparently, no one will ever come

along with good intentions anymore. So what happens? Someone does come along. A perfectly nice person with a good background and we immediately start on the

assumption that _he _is the one that has to prove that he isn't bad." Dick paused for another breath. "The problem is that we don't even know what good people look

like anymore."

Dick went silent, feeling that he had said enough.

Bruce didn't change the blank expression that his face had held throughout Dick's entire speech.

"Noted." Bruce said without emotion as he turned back to the computer.

Dick through up his hands in frustration and left the cave.

Alfred trailed behind.

"Master Richard!" He called out as Dick had walked into the living room.

Dick turned back and stopped.

Alfred came to a halt in front of him. His face held a smile.

"I think that was very well said." Alfred told him. "But I do have a question."

Dick gave a soft smile at Alfred's praise.

"Sure." He told him.

"What did you tell Miss Gordon the first time you met her and how did it effect what you just said tonight?"

Dick gave a sigh.

"Do we have to do this tonight?" He asked with a groan.

"I believe so." Alfred said.

Alfred never asked for much, so Dick decided to tell him.

"It's not pretty." Dick warned him. "But I was talking to the Hofmann twins. You know, the ones that always fight? Anyway, there we're talking about Commissioner

Gordon and how he probably couldn't be trusted and I decide to sound smart and open my mouth."

"So you said what?" Alfred said encouraging him to continue.

"Well, I just repeated what Bruce said earlier when we were talking about Gordon. You know the 'he has to prove he's not a crook' so on and so forth, and . . ." Dick

said.

"She heard you." Alfred guessed. "But you didn't know who she was nor she you. Which explains your reaction when you first, well secondly, met her."

"You can guess the rest." Dick said dismally. "She is mad because I said that."

"Did you ask her to forgive you?" Alfred asked patiently.

"Three times. She won't. So you see? She respects her dad so much that she will barely speak civically to me. She has such a firm belief in his integrity and is so

loyal to him, that she . . ." Dick trailed off. "That kind of respect isn't faked, it can't be manufactured." He finished.

"Which is why you gave the report you did." Alfred said approvingly. "But why won't she forgive you?"

"Because she thinks that I believe what I said on that balcony." Dick exclaimed.

"Do you?" Alfred asked pointedly.

Dick fell silent.

"Maybe, I did. Maybe she was right that I was just apologizing for the sake of it. Maybe I was feeling guilty and _was _just flippantly apologizing because of it. Maybe

she's been right this whole time." He added quietly.

"But you don't believe it now." Alfred reminded him gently. "And that is what matters."

"But how do I convince her of that? She probably won't even speak to me now, after tonight." Dick said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you two argue about it tonight?" Alfred inquired.

Dick stood up straighter and turned away. He felt heat rise in his cheeks.

"Ah, no. We seem to find no trouble in things to argue about though." He told him.

"But you had fun for a time?" Alfred managed to guess.

Dick gave a shrug.

"For a time, yea." He said finally. "Listen Alfred, I better get going. Bruce is going to need me." He said in a way of an excuse.

"Very well." Alfred said. But his tone told Dick that the subject was going to be further discussed at a later time.

**Random End Notes:** Thanks to all the people reviewing! You made my day!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **This many reviews makes me ridiculously happy. Thanks! :}

**Let's See Here:**

**Spider Knight****: **Thanks, hope to keep you reading!

**Francitac****: **:) Thanks!

**SkyMyst****: **Sometime soonish here—probably a bit longer than you would like. (Sorry) :)

**speedreader1999****: **Can you believe it took me this long? I couldn't actually believe it myself.

**LordOfTheBooks****: **Sorry to leave you hanging!

**Tsunade-chan** You have got to love Alfred.

**jdcocoagirl****: **We will see . . . :} Thanks!

**Laura: **(laughing) Glad you are enjoying it!

**WawaNisaDCFan: **I am a complete sucker for these to. How can anyone not love them?

**Hina Kita****: **_I'm _not even from Gotham and I know that. ;)

**3Nightwing3: **Anticipation is the spice of . . . . well actually it isn't . . . thanks!

**1rx4u: **Glad you feel that way. Thanks a bunch!

**Disclaimer: **I (do not) own Batman or its affiliated characters.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Changing tactics, Early Wakeups

"Barbara honey? Are you up?"

Barbara paused in combing her hair just long enough to sigh. She set down the comb and walked over to the door.

"Yea, Dad. I'm up." She said through the door.

"Well, I was just wondering, because I hadn't seen you yet. Are you very tired from last night?" He asked.

"I'm not too bad." She responded. "How are you? How was your night?"

"Well you know politicians, they love to talk and the mayor is no different."

She could hear her father softly chuckle on the other side of the door.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" She asked.

"Not too much to be honest. But we can talk about that later. Was the play good?" He asked her.

Barbara had to smile.

"It was really good. The soprano who played the Queen of the Night was perfect and the costumes were amazing." Barbara reported happily.

"Well, that is good to hear. What did Richard think?"

Barbara tried to think of something to say.

"It's really not his thing and unlike you, he didn't pretend to be interested." She told him.

She could feel her father smile.

"Well, that's because I'm your dad." He explained. "You better hurry up though."

Barbara glanced up at the clock. She really didn't want to go to school today, but she knew that she had to.

"I'll be out in a moment." She called. She heard her father walk away.

She sat heavily back down on her unmade bed.

This could be a bad day, a horrible day.

* * *

Barbara grabbed her book bag and trudged off. Just to make her feel even worse, the sky was completely cloudy.

She snuck around school like a secret agent. There was no way on earth that she wanted to run into Dick anywhere. She had no idea what to say to him and was

certain that there was nothing that he could say to her that would, in any way, shape or, form, make her ever even think about possibly, even remotely . . .

She sat down heavily into her seat in her first class of the day and tried to focus.

Fifteen minutes in class, her mind started to wander.

What on earth had possessed her to kiss him back? Why on earth didn't she take the opportunity to slap him or something?

She twirled her pencil in her hand and gazed up at her professor.

Why had she turned to mush so easily?

She tried to think back to the night before.

They were just talking like they had been all night. She had been telling him things that she really hadn't told anyone in . . . forever.

They had been teasing and joking with each other ever since they left the theater.

Then he just suddenly caught her eye with his perfect blue ones and leaned in, kissing her.

She realized that it was that feeling again—the feeling that she got when that drive by shooting happened.

She just felt so . . . comfortable with his arms around her. The way that his blue eyes always seemed ready to smile.

Barbara snapped her head up.

Okay—time to stop thinking about him.

Focus.

She realized that she had stopped taking notes. She quickly started writing again.

Why did he kiss her anyway? What was the point of it? Did he think that he could win her over that way; that she would be more likely to forgive him?

"Fat chance." She said.

"Miss Gordon?" Her teacher spoke up.

She looked up quickly.

"Yes sir?" She asked.

"Do you have something to add to the lecture?"

Barbara sat there blankly. Everyone's eyes were on her. Someone in the back snickered.

"Uh, no, sorry." She said looking down into her lap.

The teacher nodded and looked back at the board.

Barbara slumped in her seat.

* * *

Barbara stood outside her classroom. It was the last class of the day; the class that she had been dreading. For a few moments, she pondered skipping it, but she

couldn't.

This was _her _class and she was not going to let _him _cause her to miss a class.

Holding her head up high, she entered.

* * *

Dick found it very convenient that moment to tie his shoe.

To be honest, he had thought about not even attending today. He had fought with himself about it all the way up to the door. He even considered sitting in a different

seat which would be both obvious to her and the rest of the entire class.

But this was silly. Why should _he _be the one to stay away? _She _kissed him back! He didn't make her!

So he sat down and waited for the moment that she came in.

He _did _want to talk to her though, but he knew that right now wasn't the time.

* * *

They didn't so much as even look at each other once. Not even a glance. The whole class period not a peep was heard out of either one of them.

Barbara was the first one to leave when class was over. She hastily walked down to the cafeteria where Kelly was already sitting. A large smile was one her face.

"Barbara!" She called out as she stood up. "I got a 98% on my test!" She said giving Barbara a hug.

"Oh, Kelly! That's great!" Barbara said congratulating her.

"I just took if all very carefully." Kelly explained. "And when I got to the part with the terms I just said 'Kelly, now you just stay calm and focus.'"

Barbara had to smile.

"That's great! See? And it worked too." She added.

"Yea well," Kelly said with a shrug. "After I told myself that, the teacher told me that there was no talking during the test. I almost died of embarrassment, but then I

just started laughing and everything was fine."

Barbara rolled her eyes with a grin. She had the feeling that Kelly could laugh her way out of anything.

"And young lady, you did not text me at all last night. How did it go?" She asked with some excitement.

The smile slipped from Barbara's face as she dropped her book bag down heavily on the table.

Kelly held up her hands in a surrendering fashion.

"Barbara, dear, I'm unarmed! I have fifteen dollars in small bills in my left pocket." Kelly said with mock seriousness. She smiled over at Barbara who did not return

the gesture.

Kelly stopped smiling and shook her head.

"It could not have been that bad. Unless the opera itself was bad." She reasoned.

"The opera was fine. It was the best thing of the night." Barbara said honestly trying to recapture all the good feelings that went along with it.

"Aww. Good. Did you like the theater? It looks huge from the outside." Kelly commented.

"It's like a palace." Barbara said with a smile. "A building that breathes music and old fashioned elegance."

"You almost make me wish I would have gone. I'm getting tingly all over just listening to you." Kelly said as she watched her. "So that seems all good and proper so

what happened?"

"Guess." Barbara said with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Kelly pointed a finger at her.

"Barbara Gordon, you are not going to convince me that that boy said a single thing rude to you last night. I won't believe a word." She warned her.

Barbara folded her arms with a scowl, but tried to think rationally.

"The night was really fine. For most of it, I forgot how much I disliked him. There was even a bit of time where we practically were getting along." Barbara began as

she started to rethink through last night.

Kelly sat there in silence listening.

"We were talking about serious stuff and then we started talking about silly stuff . . . and on and on throughout the night. We stopped by that park across the way

and we talked some more." Barbara said with a pause.

"I'm waiting for the bad part." Kelly said. "Since I can't find any so far."

Barbara huffed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked around the crowded room.

"Listen, can we go outside. To talk?" Barbara said pointedly.

Kelly looked around the room and gave a nod.

"I supposed study secession can take a back seat, for some good old fashioned girl talk every now and then." Kelly said with a smile as she started to pick up her

books.

Barbara pushed through the doors and held it open for Kelly.

"I never asked how Jeffery was feeling." Barbara said.

"Well let's just put it this way. I did not get much sleep last night." Kelly explained. "But I think that he's on the mend." Kelly plopped down on a bench.

Barbara sat next to her.

Fall was definitely here. The air was cold without a breeze and there were barely any leaves left on the bare trees.

"So spill girl. We are away from prying eyes and ears." Kelly said.

"Why do you sound so eager?" Barbara had to ask.

"Dear, I am practically thirty-eight. This is pretty exciting stuff. So what happened? _You _didn't say anything did you?" Kelly charged.

"What?" Barbara sputtered. "No!"

"I'm just wondering, because he is usually so nice so I . . ."

"Why is everyone so quick to think the best of him?" Barbara snapped.

"Why is it that you only expect the worst?" Kelly said calmly.

"Because that is the only side I see!" Barbara said defensively.

"So what happened?" Kelly asked.

Barbara felt her jaw clench. She didn't want to think of it.

"Well don't clam up now." Kelly prodded.

"Well, we left the park in a kind of . . . lighthearted mood and we drove back to my house." Barbara said choosing not to look at Kelly as she spoke.

"And . . . and . . ." Kelly encouraged.

"Okay um." Barbara paused to put a hand to her forehead. "Okay, well. Basically . . ." She summoned all of resolve to spit out the last part. "He kissed me."

There was silence.

"And . . ." Kelly asked knowingly.

"I might have kissed him back." Barbara admitted with her eyes scrunched closed. She stood up quickly off the bench. "But I didn't mean to! I really have no idea

how it happened. I cannot believe him! And now I have it stuck in my head and I can't focus on anything! I missed half my notes in chemistry because of him!"

Kelly blinked.

"He's not in your chemistry class." She said with confusion.

"I know!" Barbara said with frustration. "I can't stop thinking about it. I need to block it all out." She sat back on the bench and took in a deep breath.

Calm down. Just calm down.

Kelly's voice broke into her thoughts.

"I knew he liked you."

Barbara's eye flew open.

"What?!" She said aghast.

"Honestly girl, you are as sharp as an anvil when it comes to this." Kelly said with some amusement in her voice.

"Then he's wasting his time." Barbara said shortly.

She looked up into the sky and wished the day to be over.

* * *

Dick looked around the cafeteria once more.

If Barbara really wanted to avoid him, Kelly and she were probably studying on the moon. He stopped to look at his watch. He didn't want to hang around school

forever. Maybe . . .

He paused mid thought as he saw Kelly come in from the outside. Barbara was nowhere in sight. He weaved his way towards her.

"Kelly!" He called out as he approached her.

He had never talked to her too much. Kelly was just one of those people that everyone knew. She was a people person, and although she was truly an adult, she

could connect with even the youngest student.

She stopped at the sound of her name and scanned the room. She found him easily and gave him an odd smile as he approached.

"Well, there he is, the boy that's causing all the trouble." She said in mock disdain.

Dick managed a winced grin.

"Hey." He said coming to a stop in front of her.

"What can I help you with?" She asked in an interested tone.

Dick gave a hopeless shrug.

"I guess I was just wondering if you knew if there was anything I could do." He said. "At this point, I don't know what to do to even get her to talk to me."

Kelly's eyebrows wrinkled.

"Well, I wouldn't be headstrong about it at first. She's in a mood, let me tell you. Most hardheaded girl I've ever met. She's made up her mind and is not going to

change it." She informed him straight up.

Dick felt as if he had shrunk. That was it. There was nothing he could do.

"Don't look so forlorn now. I'm sure you can think of something." Kelly encouraged him. "You'll just have to be sneaky. You'll have to get around that hard outer

shell to make her change her heart." She added with a wink.

"Do the kids here give her trouble?" He asked her with interest.

Kelly shook her head.

"I think that for the most part they just ignore her. She doesn't seem to mind."

"Well, that's good." He responded. Being ignored was better than being picked on. He had seen it happen plenty of times to commissioner's kids. He didn't want it

happening to her.

"Which is why I tried to take her under my wing." Kelly added. "Although, at this point, I think that I'm more under hers. She as smart as a whip."

Dick nodded in agreement and started thinking about what he could possibly say. But then a thought hit him. Maybe instead he could _do _something. He looked back

to her with a grin.

"Then there is just one thing I need you to tell me, if you can." He told her.

* * *

"Okay now you just sit there and if you need anything, just call me." Barbara instructed her dad that Saturday.

Her father tried to protest.

"Barbara honey, you don't need to do this. I sit a lot at work. I can do stuff around the house on my days off." He reminded her.

"Sitting at a desk and doing work is not the same thing as sitting on the couch resting." She informed him.

"Now just sit there and relax, read your book."

Her father shook his head. She was even more stubborn than he was. His wife had often reminded him that that quality in their daughter was his fault. He didn't

mind taking credit for it.

Gordon sat there for a moment. Doing nothing was kind of nice. He had been doing lots of things all week. Anything that he had ever done in a police station was

tripled in this town. But, that's what he signed up for. Work and lots of it.

"Hey Barbara?" He called out as a thought popped into his head. His daughter came immediately.

"What do you need?" She asked. "Did you want something to drink? Because I can make . . ."

She stopped talking as her father held up a hand.

"Did I tell you much about what the mayor told me Thursday night?"

"Only that he said that Williams was a good guy. You said that he didn't seem to want to talk about Gotham's past." Barbara answered.

"True." Gordon said. "But when I stopped by the office to pick up a few more papers, I ran into one of the older officers that works a night shift and we talked for a

bit."

Barbara sat down on the couch next to him and pulled up her knees.

"Well, I asked him about Williams and he told me that he was a really good cop—quick thinking and a good strategist. He also told me that he always had a knack

for finding something that everyone else would overlook. A bit of evidence in this case or a clue in some other case—given enough time, he always could seem to

find the truth."

"You think because of Batman?" Barbara asked.

Gordon mulled it over for a moment.

"That was my first thought. So then I started just talking to him about normal day to day operations and casually mentioned something about going up to the roof to

take a look at the city and that is when he told me that that was Commissioner Williams' favorite place to think." He waited a moment for his

daughter's response.

"So he would check things out with Batman when he was stuck on something, and Batman would find something that everyone else missed." Barbara said as she

tried to sort the whole thing out.

"That's what I'm thinking." Gordon said.

"So what about all the other commissioners?" She asked. "Would he not help them?"

Gordon shook his head.

"My guess is that he didn't think that their intentions were in a good place. And judging from some of the news stories that I've dug up, it wouldn't be far from the

truth."

"So what does Batman do if there is a bad commissioner?" Barbara said.

"My guess is that if they're incompetent, that he works around them, and if they're doing something wrong, he makes sure that they get caught. Did you read up on

the last guy O'Donnell? Hundreds of recordings and documents showing his double crossings mysteriously found their way onto the mayor's desk." He told her.

"So when Williams was the commissioner that is when the rumors were the strongest about someone on the outside helping the force. Those rumors died down

through the bad commissioners and now everyone is wondering whether or not you will be good and whether or not this 'someone' is going to help you." Barbara

said with some thought.

"That seems to be the mayor's train of thought." Gordon reported. "At least from what I pick up on."

Gordon rapped his fingers against the armrest.

"So I guess I get to keep the half secret going. Everyone guesses but no one really knows enough to come out with proof."

Barbara was silent.

"Well, you get back to your schoolwork and I'll try to relax okay? Enough talk of this for one morning." He said with a smile.

Barbara wandered back to her room in thought.

* * *

A few hours later, the doorbell rang.

Barbara got up instantly.

Her father had fallen asleep on the couch. He lightly stirred.

She walked down the hall quickly before it could ring again.

She opened the door in a hurry, practically startling the man on the other side.

"Sorry, can I help you?" She said remembering her manners.

The man fiddled with his cap.

"Yes, ma'am. Are you Barbara Gordon?" He asked.

Barbara looked past him down to the street. A blue van was parked on the edge of the curb.

"Uh, yes?" She said deciding that it was alright to admit it.

"This is for you." He said handing her a single pink gerbera daisy.

"Oh." She said as she stared at it.

"Have a good day." He said with a tip of his cap.

Barbara stood there in confused silence as she watched him go back down to the street. He got into his van and pulled away doing a U-turn.

The words on the van read 'Stacey's Flowers.'

Barbara twirled the flower in her hand.

She went back into the house. She found her father still sleeping.

She stared at the flower again.

Who was it from? Her father would have mentioned something. Unless it wasn't from him. But then again she didn't know anyone else who would send her a flower,

let alone know what her favorite kind was.

A horrible, horrible thought crossed her mind.

She ran back to her room and grabbed her phone off the dresser. Punching in Kelly's number, it rang four times.

"Hello there. How is your Saturday going?" She answered in a cheerful voice.

"Not too bad. Getting lots of school done so that is good. What are you up to?" Barbara asked hurriedly dispensing pleasantries.

"The kids and I are at the park. I brought some stuff to study, but let's be honest, it's not going to happen." Kelly admitted with some humor.

Barbara looked at the flower again.

"Kelly, please, please, please, tell me that you _didn't _tell Dick Grayson that I liked gerbera daisies." Barbara said all at once.

The phone line went silent.

"Hmmmm." Kelly began. "Dick Grayson, Dick Gray . . . where have I heard that name before . . ."

"Kelly!" Barbara said with indignation. "Whose side are you on? Why did you tell him?"

"Because he asked." She answered simply. "What did he send you?" She asked sweetly.

"A pink one. Why on earth would he waste some poor delivery guy's time on one single flower? It's wasteful. I'm pretty sure the gas wasn't worth it." Barbara said

rationally. "What am I supposed to do with it? What if my dad asks about it? Maybe I should throw it out."

"Just give it some water and put it in your room." Kelly instructed. "No need to take out your anger on a poor flower."

"Yea, I guess." Barbara admitted. "I'll let you go. Bye."

"Bye dear, I'll see you Monday." Kelly responded.

Barbara hung up still flustered.

The pink daisy smiled back at her happily.

Going to the kitchen, she pulled down a mug and filled it with some water. She placed the flower, now in the mug, on her desk. She hated to admit it, but it

brightened up the room.

* * *

Saturday came and went without any more excitement or drama, but Sunday—that was a different story.

Barbara awoke to the phone ringing. Rolling over in her bed, the red numbers on the clock read three twenty-seven a.m.

She could hear her father talking. She got up and fumbled for her slippers.

Then she heard her father run into something in the hall.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she flipped on a light.

Her father stood there in the hall rubbing his foot.

"Ow, yea I'll live. I've got to get going. He said walking down the hallway quickly.

"What's going on?" Barbara asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She realized that her father was dressed already. "You're wearing that horrible orange

shirt you know?" She mentioned to him.

"What?" Gordon looked down at his shirt. "Well, no one will care. Every bank alarm is going off downtown." He said throwing his coat on.

"Every single one? Is it a fluke?" She asked rubbing her arm. The house was freezing.

Her father shook his head grimly.

"I don't think that they are _all _being robbed. But somebody is. Either that or it is a horrible prank. We'll see." He said as he shoved his shoes on.

"Okay. Be careful." Barbara instructed.

"Will do." He gave her a quick peck on the forehead.

She watched him go out the door. She ran a hand through her hair and went to turn on the TV.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **I updated this after 1 am which I have never done. So if there are any errors . . . I am blaming my tired eyes.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: ***Ahem* Obviously, I do not update fast enough for anyone. For this, I am sorry. Enjoy the goodness. (At least I hope it's good)

**Let's See Here:**

**3Nightwing3: **Don't know about you, but it is definitely not good for me to update at that early of an hour. Sorry I don't update faster!

**AnonymousInternetNinja****: **Agreed! Thanks!

**dcocoagirl****: **Glad you liked it. :)

**Liveyourlifedanceing****: **They are the best! Thanks for reading!

**SkyMyst****: **I promise, promise, promise that they will. You are going to love it. (Hopefully—fingers crossed) To your second question actually not and I'm okay with it

because that happens in _every _story. (Not that I don't love that). I'm just changing everything up here. Thanks!

**1rx4u: **Thanks for the praise!

** laura. barr. 587: **I was taught not to swear and you will never find any of it in my stories. It's just one of my principles. Thanks! : )

**Simple Writter****: **That's what I'm trying for. Thanks a bunch!

**Disclaimer: **Like Lucky Charms or Pop Tarts—I do not own Batman.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Meeting the Bird, Glove Exchange

Gordon got out of his car and stepped into a flurry of police activity.

"Commissioner!" A voice called out.

Looking around, Gordon finally identified the man calling his name out of the sea of uniformed men and women.

"Baxby!" He said as he approached the man. "What have we got?

"Well, sir, exactly fourteen minutes ago, the alarms went off at this bank. However when the squad got here, there was no one. At the same time, it seemed to

trigger every other bank in a twelve miles radius which in this town is . . ."

"A whole lot." Gordon said bluntly.

They passed the yellow tape and entered the bank. All the lights were on, and various officers were taking pictures and talking to the night watchmen.

"Did anyone see anything?" Gordon asked.

"Not from what we know. We are still looking at footage. Do you want coffee?" Baxby offered.

Gordon waved him off.

"Where is the owner of this bank? Has the safe been opened?" He asked.

"The owner, Mr. Harris, is on his way. The vault will be opened then." Baxby reported.

Gordon looked around. Nothing looked disturbed. All the computer and equipment seemed to be in place.

"So what about everywhere else?" He asked.

"They are still being checked out and reported in." Baxby explained.

"Then let's go." Gordon said walking off.

"Uh, go sir?"

"To another bank, Baxby. This obviously isn't the one that has been hit." Gordon said.

Baxby seemed to be thinking this idea over.

"Do we have a map someplace of the affected banks? Are they all the same branch or family? Does the same person own them?" Gordon shouted out questions as

he walked back to his car. Baxby ran over to the passenger's side and got in.

They sped off.

They arrived at The Second Trust Bank of Gotham in record time. It as well, was swarming with cops. On the ride over, they had received a report that that

particular bank _had _been robbed. So that is where Gordon went.

"How on earth did they even pull this off?" Gordon spoke aloud into the now empty vault. "Rob one bank, and manage to set every other's bank alarms off."

"Organized crime. You gotta love it." Baxby commented.

Gordon walked out of the vault and into the main part of the bank.

A nice new hole was in the wall. The thieves escape route.

"And no one saw anything of use?" Gordon asked.

A lieutenant on the scene answered.

"Surveillance has masked figures on camera, but not enough for identification. Even the getaway vehicle

wasn't identified." He said.

Gordon huffed at the prospect of trying to track down faceless criminals.

"Have we gotten reports from the other banks yet?" Gordon asked.

"Yes sir. This was the only one that was actually hit. Everything else was just a distraction."

Gordon shook his head and walked back outside. It was dark.

He walked along the outside of the building.

Why this bank? Why tonight? Why go through all the flair of making all the alarms go off?

These questions swirled through Commissioner Gordon's well-oiled mind. He stopped as his feet reached an alley.

"Commissioner? Are you down here?" Baxby's voice floated down to Gordon's ears.

"Yea." Gordon called over his shoulder. He walked a bit further down into the alley.

Bits of garbage filled the sides of the alleyway. An odd smell filtered through the air, as Gordon walked in between the two brick buildings. It got to be a tight fit in

some places as he slid past some large garbage cans.

Something caught his eye. Movement. He crept a bit closer. His foot bumped into a trash can. It rattled.

A figured popped out and spun around.

Gordon tried to duck, but it was too late.

He heard a gunshot go off. Gordon dropped behind the trash can. He drew his gun and carefully poked his head up over the lid.

The figure was making a run for it.

"Commissioner!" A voice called out for him.

Gordon didn't hesitate a second and chased after the man.

Those back alleys were like a maze. Gordon was barely able to keep up with the fleeing shadow. The dim lights that lit some passages of the alley weren't much

help either.

The figure though, seemed like he was headed somewhere. Gordon expected him to weave around the alleys in an attempt to ditch his tail, but the man seemed to

keep heading north.

Gordon was about out of breath when he witnessed the figure climb over a fence that lay in their path.

"You have got to be kidding me." Gordon muttered as he summoned the last of his strength to climb over the fence. He jumped down and stumbled a bit on the

landing.

"Okay, no more fence jumping for me." He said in between heavy breaths. He looked up as the figure kept running.

Gordon looked around. Where did he end up anyway? He climbed back up and over the fence. Now he was really out of breath.

"You know there is a door a few feet over?" A young masculine voice said.

"Seriously?" Gordon said looking back at the fence. Sure enough, the door through the gate lay a few feet from the place where he had climbed. "That would have

been good to kno . . ." Gordon cut off. He looked around. There was no one behind him.

He thought maybe that Baxby or some other officer had followed him. But there was no one there.

Gordon stood still and licked his lips. Not quite sure what to say next.

"You should be careful just blindly running off like that." The voice instructed. "Especially since that guy could have been intentionally leading you somewhere."

"I guess I didn't consider that. What's on this side of this gate?" Gordon asked trying to look over the stacks of crates.

"The docks."

Gordon heard a soft 'thud' of someone jumping down.

"Definitely a place that you do not want to go at night. That place is crawling with thugs."

"Then _shouldn't _we go in there?" Gordon said. He could have sworn that he heard a chuckle.

"Wow, I haven't heard that suggestion in a while. No one has wanted to take that one on in a long time."

Gordon turned slightly to his left and looked up. He was surprised to actually see someone.

"Hi." The young man dressed in not exactly subtle colors said.

Gordon blinked.

"Ah, hi." He said still kind of stunned.

"I wouldn't recommend going in there without a plan."

Gordon looked back at the fence and then looked back to the young man.

Gordon set his jaw. "Okay then, what do you suggest?" He asked.

"Who?"

"You!" Gordon barked with a bit of humor.

The masked figure seemed to blink as he considered this.

"Okay. Let me think." There was some silence. "You know, I'm not usually given such decision making authority." He said.

Gordon grinned in response.

"Well, don't get mad with power." Gordon warned with a smile.

"I'll try not." He joked back as he stood up. He seemed to pull a pair of binoculars out of thin air and gazed off into the distance over the fence.

Gordon waited for him to say something.

"So uh . . ." Gordon started to say.

"Robin." The young man offered up.

"Ro . . . okay." Gordon said shortly.

"Long story." Robin added. "Well, let me put it this way. No one is going over there tonight."

"I wonder who that guy was. I was hoping that he was connected with the robbery. I assume you know about that." Gordon asked.

"You think my being here is an accident? We've been here most of the morning." Robin offered up. "In between other things."

"Do you do this every night?" Gordon asked. Robin nodded. "How is that possible?"

He shrugged. "We're bats." Robin said simply.

"You're a bird." Gordon corrected him.

"I'm a bat underneath. I have to be." The last part was said grimly. "I have to go." Robin said suddenly. "There's another robbery at the bank on 4th and Main."

"Wait, what?!" Gordon said startled. He spun around to look back at Robin.

He was gone.

"How do you know?" Gordon said loudly into the darkness.

"No time to explain."

Gordon turned around sharply. Robin was now standing right behind him.

"How does it work? You two I mean." Gordon asked feeling like Robin was more the one to ask questions to. "Who goes where and how do you decided?"

Robin shook his head.

"Like I said, I don't make the decisions around here. He's kind of a control freak." Robin paused. "Wait, don't tell him I said that. Do you remember the way back?"

Gordon paused as he took the information in.

"I won't breathe a word. The way back is left, left, right, left, left . . . right?"

"Right." Robin repeated.

"Wait, right?" Gordon said now confused.

Robin cracked a grin.

"Third base."

Gordon smiled too. "Abbott and Costello. Not too many kids know that." He said.

"Can't beat the classics." Robin said. "Goodnight Commissioner. See you around."

"I hope so." Gordon said. He watched as Robin took off. He was left to wonder how anyone could move across rooftops so quickly.

Gordon himself quickly walked back down the back alley. He ran into Baxby half way back.

"Commissioner? You cannot go off by yourself." He chastised. "Especially, without back up."

"Oh, I had back up." Gordon said hiding a slight smile. "Listen, I need you to get a team of men and check a few yards into that alley for a bullet. It's a long shot but

check."

"Okay. We just got a report that another bank has been robbed."

"4th and Main, I know." Gordon said heading back to his car.

"You know?" Baxby asked confused. "You don't even have a radio."

* * *

Barbara walked along lazily to her class Monday morning.

She was still kind of tired from the other night. She ran a hand through her hair as she tried to shake the sleepiness off. She had already had two cups of coffee and

was still about to drop. Only one class stood in her way. One class and one person.

She hoped that Dick was still in a non-talking mood. She didn't want to deal with him today. She _really_ hoped that he wouldn't ask her about the flower. She had no

idea what to say. And if he did ask her, she would probably just find something to yell at him about.

* * *

Dick turned another page of his notes. He didn't have much time to study last night. Or the night before for that matter.

He rotated his right shoulder again. It was still sore from last night. Alfred almost made him stay home because of it. He had just barely been able to talk him out of

it.

Dick paused to look at the clock on the wall and saw Barbara walk in.

He quickly looked away, so that she won't catch him staring. He wondered what she thought of the flower. He would have to talk to Kelly later.

His plan was to not actually talk to Barbara, but to do things that would be 'nice'. If he wasn't there, she couldn't get mad at him. He smiled as he stared at the back

of her head. He hoped that it could work because nothing else seemed to.

He glanced back up at the clock willing it to go by faster, he was still pretty tired. He stared back down at his notes, and shut his eyes.

The next thing that he felt was a sharp kick to his foot. He started and looked up. He realized that he had fallen asleep in class. Glancing up at the board, he didn't

recognize anything. What page where they on anyway? He discreetly tried to look at someone else's book.

"Okay class, we will take this one question at a time." The teacher began saying. "Starting in the back left row and moving towards the front."

Dick froze in his seat. That would make him going fourth and he still had no idea where they were.

Suddenly, Barbara laid down her pencil and placed her hand on the edge of her desk where he could see it better. Her hand motioned out two, two, and four.

Dick, in almost disbelief, flipped to that page and as soon as the girl in the back read the question, he realized that Barbara had indeed not only kicked him awake,

but had given him the correct page number.

He was almost stunned. Had she just completely saved his skin? Was there a chance that she possibly didn't completely hate him? He made up his mind to say

something to her before she got up.

* * *

And so he did. As soon as class was dismissed, Barbara was still in the process of shoving things into her book bag.

"Hey, Barbara?" He said softly.

Her back was to him and he watched as she paused. He could almost see the fight going in her mind of whether or not to answer him.

"Yes?" She said simply. She didn't turn around, but she was listening.

"Thanks." He said, figuring that it was the best thing to say. It kept it short and sweet.

"Sure." Barbara murmured as she finished putting stuff into her bag.

Dick figured that that was enough talking for now so he stood up and threw his book into his backpack. He reached to pick it up.

That was a mistake.

"OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow . . ." Dick winced as his bag fell to the floor with a thud.

Barbara turned around looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" She asked taking a few steps closer.

Dick sucked in breath.

"Yea, just forgot not to pick up things with my right arm." He said still wincing.

"What did you do?" Barbara asked. She seemed to study him.

"Oh, a just something stupid. Hard to believe, I know." He said deciding to try and be lighthearted about it. In actuality, his shoulder had met the ground pretty hard

in a skirmish with a thug, but he wasn't going to tell _her _that.

She nodded in kind of a nonchalant way. There was almost a smile in the corner of her mouth. Their eyes met for a second. Both seemed to be trying to figure

something out. Barbara broke her gaze.

She gave him a finally nod, and left.

Dick waited a second before picking his bag up with his _left _hand and headed out as well.

* * *

Barbara strolled around the library lazily. It was busy; kids, grown-ups, and teenagers all walked about looking for whatever they needed. Barbara looked down

over the second floor railing at the front desk.

Both Martha and Grace were there, keeping order and checking in and out books.

She turned her back to the rail and looked up into the dome as much as she could. She wondered _which _Mr. Wayne had fixed the crack that had been there. Either

way, it was a good thing.

She stopped by a nearby table and pulled a piece of paper out. She had already written down all the books she wanted to get for a project for school, now all she

had to do was find them. She shoved the folder back into her bag, but it met with resistance. Frowning, she reached down into the bag and pulled out a pair of

gloves.

She sighed.

She _was _going to give them back to him. She just didn't know how. For some reason, she lost her nerve after class was over. She wanted to get them out of her

sight. She stuffed them back into her bag, feeling a bit sorry for treating them that way. They were nice gloves and deserved to be treated better.

A thought hit her, and suddenly, everything felt better.

* * *

Dick yawned as he pulled into the library. He knew that Alfred wouldn't care if he skipped picking his book up today, but Alfred never asked for much, so despite his

tired and slightly injured condition Dick went to the library.

After weaving through some piles of kids, he waited patiently in the line that formed at the counter. When it was time, Grace gave a motion for him to step forward.

"Mr. Grayson, how are you? Here for Alfred's book?" She asked as she walked back to the shelf that lay behind the counter.

"You're on to me." He admitted with a smile. He looked around. "This place is busy."

"Yes, well." Grace said as she returned with the book. "Tis the season. Everyone is back in school, and it is turning colder so it is time to get a nice long book to

read." She said scanning the book. She handed it over to him. "Oh!" She started. "I almost forgot. Silly me."

Dick waited, slightly confused, as she dug underneath the counter.

"Ah, here we are." She announced and she handed him his gloves.

"My . . . gloves?" He looked at her.

Grace adjusted her glasses.

"Yes, well, Barbara dropped them off here. She said you left them . . . somewhere." Grace said. "I forgot where she said."

Dick fingered his gloves. He knew _exactly _where he left them. He had almost forgotten that he had lent them to her that night.

"Thanks." He settled on saying. "Is she still here?" He asked hopefully.

Grace shook her white haired head.

"I'm sorry dear, but she left over a half hour ago. I'm sure you will see her later to thank her." Grace added reassuringly.

Dick thanked her again and weaved back out through the masses. Once outside, he stared back down at the gloves. He shoved them into his pocket as an idea

formed in his head.

* * *

Tuesday, Barbara set her backpack down on the table and rubbed her forehead. She had had this headache since the morning and it was not going away without a

fight. Kelly had already called her to let her know that she was going to be late to their study secession. She plopped down in the plastic hard seat and tried to block

out the noise.

She looked down at her watch. It was time to take more medicine. She was going to take some during her last class, but time just got away from her. She zipped

open her bag and dug around. The bottle usually sunk to the bottom. Something caught her eye.

She pulled out a white nine inch box tied up with a red bow. She turned it over in her hands looking for a tag.

"What do you have there?"

Barbara looked up at Kelly.

"I don't know, I just found it." Barbara explained. "It wasn't there earlier. At least, I don't think so."

"Well, open it." Kelly encouraged. "Do you think it's from your dad?" She asked.

Barbara shrugged and removed the bow. She opened the box.

She carefully pulled out the pair of gloves that lay inside. Beautiful, back gloves, with soft insides. A note lay underneath.

_Still keep the old ones. –DG_

She read the note out loud softly.

"The old ones?" Kelly questioned. "Is that code or something?"

Barbara silently shook her head as she laid the gloves back in the box. How on earth did he sneak them into her bag without her noticing?

She placed the lid carefully on top. She realized that her headache was gone.

"We should start studying. We've already lost time." Barbara said trying to sound normal.

Kelly sat down, but didn't hide the smile that crossed her lips. Barbara tried not to notice.

* * *

The next week went by peacefully. Well, for Barbara not so much her father. School was keeping her busier than ever. As for Dick, his plan of giving Barbara some

space seemed to be working. He tried to stay out of her way and not open his mouth too much in her presence. There were almost to the point, where she could

look at him and _almost _smile. But hey, she would at least make eye contact.

But one unfortunate incident was about to have all that work come crashing down.

* * *

Barbara stopped to rub her eyes as she finished grabbing the last of the books that she wanted from the school's library. It still wasn't as nice as the public library

and the librarians, although nice, couldn't compare to Grace and Martha. But the library was still very agreeable. Checking her list, she went in search of the last

book that she wanted. She finally found it in a way back corner of the library.

She grabbed it off the shelf thankful to be done for the day and was ready to go home and enjoy the weekend. She spun around to leave when she heard her name

said on the other side of the row. Barbara knew that she should just keep walking, but she didn't. She felt glued to the floor.

"Well, what do you expect?" A girl voice said with a giggle. "She is the commissioner's kid. They _always _think that they are better than everyone else."

Another girl giggled in a way Barbara always found annoying. She tried to look through the rows of books to the other side. Two girls stood there. Both looked

vaguely familiar.

"Yea, remember . . . Commissioner Branson's kids . . . whatever their names were. Anyway, they were always so high and mighty." The blond girl said.

Barbara bit her lip and tried to keep quite as anger churned inside of her. She didn't know what those boys were like, but what she did know that being a cop's kid

was hard and not as easy as everyone would be willing to think.

"Yea well this one is outdoing them all." The first girl said. "Barbara Gordon has to always be the best student in _every _class. Every teacher I know is raving about

her."

"Talk about a teacher's pet." The blond said rolling her eyes. "And did you hear what Jessica told me? There's a rumor out there that she is going after Richard

Grayson."

"What? He is so way out of her league. What on earth would he even see in her?" The blond said with a short laugh.

"Well, that's what Jess told me." The shorter of the two girls said. "But soon enough something will happen like it always does. Her father will screw something up

and will either be put into jail or kicked out."

The blond continued. "And then that will be the end of mighty Barbara Gordon."

Barbara had to resist the urge to knock the entire bookshelf down on them. Fighting off emotion, she headed down the steps of the upper level and rushed towards

the exit.

Forgetting the books still in her hands she rushed past the exit until the library's security system beeped at her. She marched over to the book counter and set the

stack down.

A librarian got up and walked over to the counter.

"I . . . I . . . don't think that I will be checking these out today." Barbara forced out.

She quickly turned around leaving her stack of books behind and left the library now embarrassed for making a spectacle of herself.

She walked in a cloud of anger and disgust. Was there a single person in this town willing to believe in anyone? So what, if she was a good student? She tried hard;

it wasn't her fault if they didn't. Is that what made them think that she thought herself _above them_? No she didn't!

She turned the corner so sharply that she narrowly missed running into an art student loaded up with paint supplies. She didn't even stop to apologize.

As for the charge concerning Dick, he could fall off the planet and she wouldn't notice . . . ever. She repeated the words again just in case her head tried to form any

other ideas.

* * *

Dick waited in the main part of the building for Barbara. She always left the school this way as it was the fastest route to the bus stop.

He had decided to stop her today to say something. He decided on a safe topic—school. Something nice and short, and then he would leave. He had given her space

for a week and was hoping that she would be more receptive to talking with him.

His eye caught the top of her head and he watched her fly down the stairs at an alarming rate. Something wasn't right.

"Barbara!" He called out as he walked towards her. Something was definitely wrong, he could see it on her face.

She stopped when she saw him. He came to a stop a few feet in front of her.

Her blue eyes looked watery, but hard.

"What's wrong?" He asked instantly. He hoped that nothing was wrong with her father or something.

"Not now." She practically hissed at him. Dick recoiled.

She wasn't upset sad, she was upset mad. What had happened? He instantly wished that she liked him enough to tell him what had upset her.

She didn't give him another second to say anything as she brushed past him.

Dick spun around as he watched her leave.

What was going on?

"It was not me this time, I swear." He whispered.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **I think I know what you are thinking, but stick with me here . . . See you next time!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: ***Warning* -The following chapter contains an attempt by me to add an element of mystery to this story. People who have read some of my

previous works should know that I have no talent in this area of sub-plot. People who can _actually _write mysteries might want to turn away in order to keep from

sobbing hysterically at my attempt. (Seriously here, I am not joking. Do me a favor and don't dwell too long on it. _I _still don't really get it either. Nothing to see here,

keep the line moving.)

**Let's See Here:**

**jdcocoagirl****: **I've never written much Gordon/Robin dialogue. It was pretty fun. Thanks for reading!

**Godgirl4ever****: **It is a slow-ish story, but in a few chapters it will move along. I have a lot crammed in the last half of this story.

**1rx4u: **Glad that you are enjoying. Lots of good stuff to come. (Do I keep saying that? :})

**Liveyourlifedanceing****: **I know, I never do it fast enough. [Sorry :)]

**Saphire122****: **Thanks for enjoying!

**soccernin19****: **The story of life in general. Thanks for reading!

**AnonymousInternetNinja**: That is good to know. Sometimes, I have no idea whether my idea are cute or that people will just think that they are weird. Glad you

thought the former.

**Francitac****: **Sweet is good. Thanks!

**lalaithtinuviel: **Thanks for the love!

**Disclaimer: **I think that the above statements make it painfully obvious that this is not needed.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: New Resolution, New Trust

As soon as Barbara got up that next morning for school, her mind was made up. She had decided on a plan and she was going to carry through with it.

Passing Kelly in the hall, she pulled her over between classes.

"Hey Barbara, did you need something?" Kelly asked with her usually happy tone.

Barbara shook her head.

"Yes. I've made a decision and I want you to know." She told her.

Kelly raised an eyebrow and looked excited.

"About what?" She asked eagerly grasping one of Barbara hands.

"After an incident yesterday, I have decided that I am going to no longer pay attention to pretty much anyone in this building." Barbara announced with certainty.

Kelly dropped her hand.

"Barbara!" She exclaimed. "What incident? What do you mean that you aren't going to . . .?"

"No one inside this building exists to me. What they say, what they think of me . . . doesn't matter." Barbara said with passion.

"But honey, you can't just block out the world." Kelly said trying to reason with her.

"I have to. For some reason, I've lost my thick skin. I'm building it back up again." Barbara explained. "So as of now, that is the plan. But I will still hang out with

you." Barbara reassured her. "You're nice."

Kelly bit her lip before speaking.

"Other kids are nice too dear; you just have to find them."

"I don't have that kind of time right now." Barbara said.

"Well . . . shoot . . . I have to get to class. We are talking about this later okay?" Kelly said pointing a finger at her using a motherly tone of voice.

Barbara shrugged.

It would be useless now. Her mind was made up. She would focus on only two things for the time being: her schoolwork and her dad.

* * *

Dick wandered around the art museum lazily. Twice now he had been asked if he needed help and twice he had said that he didn't. He walked from room to room

past well-known masterpieces and new modern art. He circled the cafeteria and stopped for a few seconds to stare at some of the sculptures.

He pulled out the map and stared back down at it. Maybe Kelly had gotten the day wrong. He had covered the entire museum once and still had not found Barbara.

Giving a sigh, he decided to make one last sweep of the main floor. He wandered back down the stairs avoiding the people coming up and wandered into the first

gallery on his left.

He stopped dead at the sight of her.

She was standing in front of a large painting that contained people carrying umbrellas.

His first instinct was to tap her on the shoulder and hide, but the thought, quickly dropped from his head. She was not going to be a playing kind of mood, at least

not from what Kelly had told him.

He wanted to know what happened that day; he had a good feeling that he should be angry at someone for messing his plans up.

He decided to be straight forward about it . . . kind of.

Dick wandered over and stood off to her right, besides another person. He could see her face though. She looked happy. Her eyes kept going over the painting like

she was missing something.

Dick shifted his eyes to read the label: _Paris Street; Rainy Day_, 1877.

The lady between the two of them moved on. Dick shifted slightly closer to Barbara.

That's when she noticed him.

Her lips instantly pressed together and he heard her sigh.

"What do you want?" She said sounding hopeless. Like she knew that she wasn't going to get rid of him easily.

"Well, actually I was just trying to find someone." He said coyly.

"In here? Good luck, it's pretty packed in here today." She said completely missing his point.

But hey, at least she was talking, after what Kelly had told him he was pretty sure that she might never again.

"You better just call them." She instructed while breaking into his thoughts. "It's a zoo in here with the new art wing that opened."

"Which one is that?" He asked cocking his head.

"The one you're standing in." She said turning more fully to face him.

Dick looked around the room. Everything did look a bit familiar.

"Oh, yea." He said with a snap of his fingers. "The impressionist display, yea it opened last weekend . . . I was here."

"You didn't remember?" Barbara asked as her eyes got wide. "How could you not remember being here for the grand opening?" She demanded.

"It just slipped my mind!" Dick said a bit defensively. "I end up at a lot of these things remember?"

Barbara rolled her eyes.

"You could at least _try _to appreciate it." She said turning her attention back to the painting.

She kept her back to him and didn't utter another word.

"Well, I better go." Dick said simply. "You know, to find . . ." He broke off. She wasn't listening anymore. "Okay, then. Have a nice day." He said. She nodded simply.

* * *

After counting to ten, Barbara turned around and caught a glimpse of Dick walking out of the gallery. She huffed and pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face.

Even when she wasn't in school, he always found her.

It was like he had a tracking device on her. She quickly looked over her bag, but then dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Giving the painting a last glance, she headed

for the cafeteria because there was _actually_ a guy she was meeting there that she did want to see.

* * *

"Hi, Dad!" She greeted him as she sat down at the table.

Her father folded his newspaper and stood up to kiss her cheek.

"Hey, Barb. How is everything going?"

"Really good." She told him. "I'm glad that you could pop by on your lunch break."

"Well, I'm glad that I could make it." He told her with a smile. "We are still pretty backed up there on just about everything. You have no idea, how out of whack that

place is."

"Well, you are the person to put it back into shape." She told him. "Are you anywhere on the bank robberies?"

Her father gave a sigh. "Only that the one after the initial bank alarm fiasco started wasn't connected to the rest. Everyone is saying that it is gang activity and that I

don't disagree with, but I guess I just don't understand why they would just hit one. One big pay out I suppose, but for all that fuss?" He said. "It just seems to be

overdramatic."

"Speaking of which." Barbara said in a serious tone of voice. Her father scooted closer across the cafeteria table.

"No, I have not seen our friends since that night. But I would like to soon. I have something I want their help on." The commissioner whispered.

"What's that?" Barbara asked wide eyed.

"Some sort of paper left on the scene, problem is that it is written in some kind of code. Could it be worthless? Maybe. But no one knows since no one as of yet can

break it." Gordon informed her.

"What kinds of gangs use unbreakable codes?" Barbara asked.

Gordon had to smile.

"That's my girl. Exactly. My theory is one that either has funding in high places or was getting information from a source in an important position." He said.

"So do you think that _he_ can do it?" Barbara whispered.

Gordon shrugged.

"Can he? Will he? I'll have to see. I hope so. He trusted Williams; let's hope he thinks that he can trust me."

"He will." Barbara said firmly. "He has too."

Her father leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. He decided to change topics.

"You know, I saw Richard on the steps outside when I was coming in here."

"Who? Oh, yea. I saw him." Barbara said dismissively.

"He stopped and said 'hi'. Was very nice as always. Asked if I could park anywhere I wanted to since I was commissioner." He father added with a smile.

"Why does he do that? Does he have to joke about everything?" Barbara said exasperatedly.

"Barbara . . ."

"No, I'm serious Dad. Not a single day goes by, where something silly doesn't come out of his mouth." She charged.

"And you find that annoying?" Her father asked although he already knew the answer.

"I just can't . . . it drives me nuts. Like his humming does." She added.

She looked around the room at all the various people that sat eating. Business looking men, families with small kids, groups of young adults.

"I see." Her father finally said looking at her.

"What was that?" She asked turning towards him.

"Hm? Oh, never mind. Just thinking." He said as he picked up his sandwich.

Barbara stabbed at her salad.

"I can't wait to walk around the sculpture garden when it's warmer out. It will be so much more enjoyable." She said.

He father, whose mouth was full, just nodded.

"Oh, that reminds me that I was going to tell you something." Gordon said after he swallowed. "I got, well we got, an invitation to a party at the Cole's."

Barbara paused before answering.

"Who are they?" She asked before stabbing a piece of tomato.

"They are . . . uh, financial . . . I forget what the term was, but I met his wife actually at my induction ceremony because he was off in South America, or someplace

like that. They own that building, the one with the big fountain and the statue of that horse in front?"

Barbara knew it. You could probably fill thousands of bathtubs with how big that fountain was.

"So do you want to go? Do I even have to ask?" He said jokingly. "I'm sure they have a nice house, although I'm sure that they don't have someone as nice as

Alfred to show you around."

To that Barbara had to smile.

"Yea, I guess it would be fun." She stated. It couldn't be any worse than the first one.

* * *

Gordon got up from his office chair and looked out the window. It was amazing, every time he looked out there was something always new to see. 'People watching'

he called it. It made an enjoyable pastime. But after dark, the world seemed to change and every corner and every person seemed to look a bit darker.

Not that he could specifically see that from his window. It was just the overall impression –like a different Gotham rose as soon as the sun set. A bad feeling set in.

The feeling that someone out there was planning something terrible and there really wasn't much to do, but wait until it happened.

But sometimes, the bad things never happened. Thugs were stopped before they could mug people, robbers never made it into private homes—everyday citizens

were being helped by a mysterious force that didn't want thanks. That "force" had been given the name of Batman . . . well, and Robin. Gordon tacked on in his

mind.

Fishing a piece of copy paper out of his desk, he turned it over in his hand and gave one more glance out the window.

Wherever Batman . . . or Robin for that matter were, he hoped that they kept some sort of eye on the roof of police headquarters. He couldn't stand out there

forever.

He walked around the roof once and looked every which way. He turned up the collar on his old brown coat and stared at his watch.

"One more lap." He muttered. "And then I have to get back or else people will start wondering where I am."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and made a mental note to bring an extra set of heavier gloves.

"Waiting long?"

Gordon stood up straighter but this time wasn't alarmed at the sound of a voice.

"We really have to work out a system, like smoke signals or . . ." Gordon started to say.

"You show up, we come as soon as we can. This is as soon as we could."

The tone Batman used made Gordon feel like he was being lectured by the school principal.

"Sorry. I'm new to this remember?" He said in his defense.

"He has a point." A much more understanding voice broke in.

Gordon turned around instantly upon hearing Robin's voice.

He was met with surprise, not at seeing the colorful young man, but the man dressed in black beside him.

Not like a 'Zorro' type man dressed in black, but like a man so completely dressed in black it was hard to make out his form against the night sky. A true bat.

In all this, Gordon found his voice.

"Um, hi. No, I haven't been waiting too long." Gordon said although he doubted whether or not Batman really cared about that fact.

There was more silence, so Gordon decided to continue talking. He cleared his throat.

"Okay, well to make this simple. I need to see if you can figure out what this says." Gordon asked as he took a piece of paper out of his pocket. "It was found at the

scene of the bank robbery and so far no one can decipher it."

"Why do you think it's important?" Batman's question came quickly.

Gordon's outstretched arm holding the note drooped.

"I don't." He said bluntly. "But at this point, it's all I have. Unless you know something."

More silence.

"I'm going to take that as a 'no'." The commissioner said. "But see if you follow this line of thinking: let's say that someone important, say in the public eye, is

secretly funding a gang. From what I know, this isn't too hard to believe in this town."

"That's correct." Robin said.

Gordon gave a nod.

"So let's assume that this person, of course, doesn't want himself to be discovered so he is using some really top level codes." Gordon stared down at the piece of

paper in his hand. "Or it could just be short-hand because no one uses that anymore." He added in frustration.

"Well, let's see." Robin answered.

Gordon decided that in all cases he would always like to have Robin present, at least he would talk.

Gordon gave him the note.

Robin seemed to frown after looking it over. He deftly handed it over to Batman.

They both seemed to be talking although no actual words were spoken.

"Something?" Gordon decided to ask after a moment.

Batman answered this time.

"Is this the original?"

"Ah, no. It's locked up in evidence. That's my handwriting." Gordon explained.

"Was the note typed?" Batman asked.

"Yes." Gordon answered. "Because otherwise we might have something to go o . . ." He stopped talking as Batman started walking.

"This pattern looks familiar from something else." Batman said.

His answer was too short for Gordon's liking.

"Another crime?" He asked quickly.

Batman stopped on the ledge.

"I'll let you know." He said simply.

Gordon shot Robin a look. He seemed to give Gordon a shrug.

Gordon stood there in silence as Batman jumped off the roof. He knew his mouth was hanging open.

"Well, bye." Robin offered as he followed suite.

Gordon mouthed a goodbye but no sound came out of his mouth.

* * *

"So . . . we're trusting him?" The question came out of Dick's mouth as a question to Bruce who was trying his best not to answer the question. But Dick wasn't going

to let this drop.

"So we are trusting him?" He repeated the question.

Bruce sat down swiftly in his chair in front of the large computer.

"Tentatively." Bruce finally replied as he typed.

"HA!" Dick announced with glee. "We don't tentatively trust anyone. We either do or we don't. You said that we would get back to him and that means that we are

willing to get information and that means that we trust him. Where is Alfred?"

"I am right here Master Dick." Alfred said as he came down the stairs holding a tray. "Did you need something?"

Dick shook his head.

"Only to congratulate you. You intuition about the mustache was correct and we are going to trust Gordon." Dick said with more fanfare then necessary.

At this point, Bruce was completely blocking him out.

Alfred looked delighted.

"I just knew that he was going to be a worthy commissioner." Alfred said proudly. "He and Miss Barbara just seemed to be the breath of fresh air that we needed."

Both Dick and Alfred turned to look at Bruce who, feeling their eyes on his back, turned around.

"What?" He said demandingly.

Alfred and Dick exchanged a smile.

* * *

"Dad? Does this clash?" Barbara asked her father as he walked down the hall.

"Oh, ah." He stopped to consider this. "Nope."

She had chosen a purple, well amethyst, dress. It had a high neck and was scooped in the back.

"Do you even know what clash means?" She questioned him as he began to walk again.

"It's when you wear black and blue together." He said over his shoulder.

Barbara gave a small smile at his response and twirled back to face the mirror. Pausing, she turned back and went down the hall to her father's room. His door was

hanging open, so she went in and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Her father came out of his bathroom dressed in his suit with a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Whut?" He managed to say.

"I was just thinking, about what you said last night about Batman."

Gordon stopped brushing his teeth.

"kay." He spit out through the foam.

"Well, you mostly talked last night about how he just jumped off the roof." She said.

"Whell." Her father held up a finger and walked back into the bathroom. He reemerged without a toothbrush.

"Sorry." He apologized. "It was just amazing. It was like the height was nothing to them. Like they could fly. But I'm still pretty sure that they are mortal men. At

least I think so." Gordon said thinking it over.

"But you gave him the note you copied with the code on it right?" Barbara clarified.

Her father nodded.

"He said that he would 'let me know'". Gordon told her as he remembered the conversation.

Barbara took in a swift breath.

"So he is going to look into it?" She said with her voice rising with excitement. "So he is going to help you? Going to work with you?

"Ah, I guess so." Gordon said not immediately understanding his daughter's excitement.

"Dad!" Barbara exclaimed standing up and giving him a hug. "Don't you see what this means? This means that he trusts you and is willing to help you figure stuff

out!"

Her father returned her hug and her grin.

"I guess so." He said softly. "I guess so." He realized that he did not think of it that way before.

Barbara had to smile against her father's chest. A thought crept into her head.

Take _that _Richard Grayson—Batman trusted her father.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Toothbrush talk is a language all on its own. I might (might) [might] try to update sooner, but we will have to see.

You people are awesome for reading. Thanks!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** I had one of those _days _today, if you know what I mean . . .

**Let's See Here:**

**jdcocoagirl****: **I liked writing things from Gordon's perspective. I don't think I really have before, at least not too much.

**Laura: **Keep this between you and me . . . (she will!)

**LordOfTheBooks****: **Doing what I'm doing is what I do best. Thanks!

**3 Nightwing 3: **I just hate to promise if I'm not sure how fast I can get to it, but I'm glad that you are enjoying! About your suspicions—you might be right. (Okay,

you totally are.)

**Guest: **I really haven't thought about how the mood of this story compares to my others, but it really is so different compared to my others. I've really changed a

lot of key plot points.—I try hard with my little disclaimers some days I feel wittier than others . . . Thanks for stopping by!

**Disclaimer: **Maybe if we all pool our money together. . .

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Abrupt Ending, Moping

So there she and her father were, standing outside of yet another large dwelling that people attempted to called a home. Barbara felt that neither of them were

really nervous this time around. They were ready for anything.

Once they were escorted in by a maid, they were brought into the ballroom.

Barbara couldn't help but to compare it to the ballroom of Wayne Manor, which she still liked better.

Not that the room was by any means bad looking. It was still huge, perfectly lit, and to top it off a Van Gogh hung over the fireplace.

Barbara just shook her head. What would it be like to live in an art museum?

The Cole's turned out to be very nice people. Mrs. Cole remarked on how nice her dress was and Barbara instantly knew that she really meant it, which put her at

ease fashion-wise.

Mrs. Cole then told her about her teapot collection and had to bring her over to various china cabinets. Barbara complemented everything very politely.

"There are various more sets down the hall and off to the room, if you wish. My husband is going to complain soon if I'm not back at his side soon." She explained.

"But help yourself. I know that you will just love them." She added enthusiastically.

Barbara gave a nod with a smile as the teapot enthusiast walked back in the direction of the ballroom. It wasn't the silliest thing that a rich person could collect

Barbara decided.

She wandered a bit further into massive rooms and long hallways. After a while, she realized that she probably had gone farther than she was supposed to.

It was funny how you could feel alone in a house that a large party was being thrown. But at the moment, she felt that she was on her own private tour.

She wandered around a corner and found herself at the base of some stairs. She wanted to go up them, but stopped when she reminded herself that she was a

guest and that she couldn't just keep walking around.

Reluctantly, she turned around, but a noise stopped her. The sound of a child laughing.

Barbara turned around to face the stairs again. She started walking up them carefully.

At the top was a row of rooms. Barbara walked quietly along hoping to discover where the sound had come from. She heard it again.

She stopped outside of a closed door. It was a little boy's laughter. Barbara opened it slowly and heard a voice reading a book.

The voice stopped reading as soon as Barbara's head peaked into the door further.

Barbara realized that she was in a nursery or a playroom.

The person reading the book turned out to be a girl about her own age. Instantly, she gave a start and stood up. She pushed some of her mouse brown hair out of

her face.

The little boy and girl that had been sitting in front of her turned around to look at Barbara.

"Uh, can I help you? Are you lost?" She asked nervously.

"Oh, no. Sorry. I'm just wand . . .well I was looking around and just kept going." Barbara told her.

The girl shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"Hi, I'm Barbara. Who are you?" She decided to ask.

"Just a nobody." The girl said dismissively.

"Oh, really? Me too." Barbara said with a bit of a smile.

The girl's head whipped up.

"You can't be a nobody." She said definitively. "The Cole's don't invite nobodies."

Barbara gave a shrug.

"Okay, I'm a daughter of a somebody." Barbara said.

The girl seemed uncertain about this. She seemed to look Barbara over.

"I'm Jessica Morris. I watch the Cole's kids." She said after a minute.

Barbara took a moment to take in the two children.

The boy couldn't be much older than five. He had floppy brown hair and a perfect little kid smile that made you smile back. His sister had blond hair like her mothers

and had to be close in age to her brother.

"So what are your names?" Barbara asked squatting down to be on level with them.

"Ryan." The boy said with certainty.

"Samana." The little girl said.

"Samantha." Jessica corrected gently for Barbara's benefit.

Barbara gave a smile at the little group.

"We were just reading a story." Jessica said as Barbara stood back up. "But . . ." Jessica started coughing.

Barbara now noticed how red her nose was.

"Cold?" She asked.

Jessica nodded.

"I'm almost over it. It's just getting in my way at the moment. School is hard enough without fighting colds." She said.

"Do you go to the university?" Barbara asked.

"No." Jessica shook her head. "I'm not . . . well I, I go to the community college in town. It's not as fancy, but it's good."

"I'm sure it is." Barbara said. She didn't mean to make Jessica feel badly.

Jessica started coughing again.

"What's worse is that I forgot my water bottle." She said.

"Oh, can I get you some water?" Barbara offered. "How far away is the kitchen?"

"It's ah . . ." Jessica put a hand to her forehead.

"Complicated?" Barbara guessed. "Do you want me to stay here and you can go grab something?"

Jessica bit her lip.

"Would it be alright? I don't want to get you in trouble." Barbara said.

"Uh, I guess it would be okay." Jessica said after a moment of thinking. "Would you be okay?" She asked Barbara.

Barbara blinked. Would she be okay?

"I'll be fine. Trust me I've watched plenty of kids." Barbara assured her. "I can handle this for a few minutes."

Jessica crossed her arms in front of her body over her sweatshirt.

"Well, okay. I'll be quick." Jessica said. She sat down and faced the children.

"Rye? Sammy? This is Barbara. She is going to stay with you for a moment okay? I'll be right back." She spoke carefully.

Both the little kids nodded with smiles at Barbara.

"I'll be right back." Jessica said once more before she left the room. The door shut.

"So what were you guys reading?" Barbara asked as she sat back down on the floor. She tried to rearrange her dress so that it wouldn't get too wrinkled.

Samantha immediately picked up a storybook and came over and sat down on Barbara's lap.

Ryan walked over to a short bookcase and pulled out one of the many colorful plastic containers that lined the shelves.

He turned the box over and various toy cars spilled onto the floor with a clatter.

"You're going to have to clean that up." Barbara reminded him as he started pushing the cars across the floor.

"Okay." Ryan said without looking up.

* * *

Dick pocked his head into a few more rooms. Barbara had to be somewhere around here. Mrs. Cole said that she had sent her to look at more teapots in other

rooms. Dick knew that Barbara would take the opportunity to explore the house . . . and find things wrong with it. He thought somewhat harshly.

His first thought had been to check Mr. Cole's library, but Barbara wasn't there. Which meant that she hadn't found it. If she had, Dick was positive that she wouldn't

leave.

After turning a few more corners and checking a few more rooms, Dick heard a door shut. He found himself walking up to a familiar door and opening it slowly.

He saw Ryan first playing with his cars on the floor. He heard Barbara's voice and then Samantha say something.

Ryan looked up and saw him. Dick raised a finger to his lips.

Of course, kids never stay quiet when they need to be.

"Dick!" He called out happily dropping his cars and running over to the door. Dick pushed open the door and caught the boy in his arms.

"Hey, Ryan. Are you being good?" He asked as he set the boy back down.

Ryan nodded enthusiastically.

Dick glanced over at Barbara who appeared to be caught off guard. Dick trod carefully.

"Hello." He said to her.

"Hi." She said with some reserve.

Dick smiled at Samantha who was sitting in Barbara's lap.

Ryan came running over, his hands full of small balls.

"Whoa, there." Dick said as Ryan handed him all the balls. Dick stared down at them and sighed.

"You show a kid something once and they never forget." He said offhandedly to Barbara.

"I can't do this many, okay? This is too many." Dick told Ryan as he put some of the balls down.

"You ready?" He asked the small boy. Ryan nodded.

Dick rolled the balls in his hands and then seamlessly began to juggle them.

Ryan stood there in awe. Samantha sat still in Barbara's lap as they both watched him.

Eventually, Dick missed one and it fell to the floor. Ryan ran after it and brought it back.

"And that." Dick explained. "Is what happens when you don't practice in a while." He handed the other balls back to Ryan who immediately tossed them into the air.

"That's a good start." Dick said praising him. Ryan smile and ran to pick the balls back up.

"So you found the fun room." Dick said addressing Barbara.

"Is that what they call it?" She questioned.

"No." He answered. "It's what I call it. Because it's the only room where anyone is having fun."

Barbara seemed to give a very small smile as she watched Ryan gathering up the last of the balls.

"Here Ryan, let me show you this." Dick called him over.

Samantha tugged on Barbara's arm causing her to look back down at the girl.

Dick pulled out a quarter from his pocket and showed it to Ryan. The boy watched carefully as Dick placed it into the palm of his hand and held both closed fists out

to the boy.

As Ryan decided which hand he was going to choose, Barbara started to read again to Samantha. But he felt her glance his way every few seconds as Ryan kept

guessing which hand held the coin.

In the end, of course, neither hand held the coin.

"Where did it go?" Dick asked Ryan.

"I don't know." The boy said looking amazed.

"Does Sammy have it?" Dick asked.

Ryan ran over to his sister and checked both of her hands. Samantha pulled her hands away from her brother slightly annoyed.

"What about Barbara?" Dick said.

He watched as Barbara held out her hands for the boy to check them.

"No." Ryan said running back over to Dick.

"Are you sure? Hmmmm . . . I wonder where it is." Dick said teasingly.

"Where!" Ryan wanted to know.

"Hmmm . . . how about, here!" Dick announced as he pulled the quarter out from Ryan's ear.

Ryan clapped his hands as he took the quarter from Dick's hand. He ran back over to Barbara and Samantha to show them.

"What do you say?" Barbara said gently to the boy.

Ryan turned around.

"Thank you!" He said cheerfully.

Dick smiled back at him. His eyes met Barbara's for half a second before she looked back down at Samantha.

Dick's finger traced the outlines of the animals that were pictured on the rug. Ryan went back and grabbed some of his cars again. He brought one of them over to

Dick.

"Thanks." Dick told him as he took the blue car from his small hands.

Ryan laid down on his stomach and rolled his car across the rug.

"You're a lucky guy Ryan." He told the boy. "You get to play in the fun room with pretty girls."

Ryan looked up at Dick not understanding what he said.

Dick risked a glance at Barbara. She was conveniently looking in the other direction, but Dick allowed himself to be satisfied with the idea that she might be

blushing.

A thought then came to his mind.

"So, who is watching these two?" He asked.

Barbara turned around to face him.

"Oh, ah, Jessica. She stepped out to get a drink of water." She explained.

"Kind of short?" Dick asked. "With short brown hair?"

Barbara's red hair bobbed as she nodded.

"Painfully shy girl's name is Jessica? I didn't know that." Dick said.

Barbara's eyes narrowed him.

"I've seen her a few times, but she refuses to say pretty much anything to me." He said trying to explain.

Barbara didn't look any more satisfied at his answer.

"Not everyone is outgoing." Barbara said definitively.

"I know." Dick said sensing an argument coming on. "But she is really shy."

At that moment, the door to the playroom opened, and a familiar person walked through the door . . . and then froze as she took in the sight.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said and then she stepped back out.

Dick and Barbara exchanged a look.

Barbara had Samantha stand up and Dick watched as she walked over to the door and opening it back up.

"Jessica, come on in. You are supposed to be in here." He heard Barbara say.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt." Dick heard the shy gi . . .well, Jessica say.

He watched both girls come back into the room. Samantha immediately ran over to both of them holding the storybook.

"We didn't make it too far." Barbara told Jessica.

"It's okay." She said quietly. "I probably need to get these two to bed."

Dick waited to say hello, but his chance never came.

"Do you want me to help clean up or anything?" Barbara offered generously.

Dick smiled. That was just like Barbara.

Jessica shook her head.

"No, Sammy, Ryan, and I can do it. You should probably get back before someone comes looking." Jessica said. "Thanks though."

"Sure." Barbara said. "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe." Jessica said a noncommittal manner.

"Bye you guys." Barbara said addressing the children.

Both kids came to stand in front of her and say goodbye.

Dick watched the scene with a smile before joining Barbara by the door. Jessica still didn't look at him.

"Bye Dick!" Ryan said happily. Samantha gave him a smile.

Barbara gave a final wave to them both and a goodnight to Jessica and she followed Dick out the door.

Then there was silence.

"They're both really cute." Barbara said after a minute.

Dick nodded.

"The Cole's kids are really good. Too many kids that grow up in this world become . . . well, bratty so I hope that they stay that good."

"Well, they seem good for now." Barbara commented. "They have lots of imagination at this age. You . . . you seem to know how to charm them."

Dick paused to take in the rare complement.

"Yea, well." He shrugged. "Most of the tricks I know don't impress kids over the age of eleven. So it's nice to know that someone still is impressed."

"No, it was . . ." Barbara stopped talking.

Dick turned to face her. He saw that she had wandered, predictably, into another room.

"Ah, Barbara, are you coming? You can't explore their whole house in one night." He said trying to sound teasing.

"Look at these." Her voice called.

Interested, Dick walked into the room and found her staring at the pictures on the walls. They were hand drawn pictures done in crayon.

"Samantha loves to draw teapots for her mom. Mrs. Cole says that they should rent out a space in the art museum and hang them in there." Dick told Barbara.

"She should." Barbara said. "These are precious."

"Every time I come here, she has hung a few more up." Dick said looking up at the wall. Barbara gazed at each picture with the same appreciation that she would

give a priceless masterpiece.

"It was nice of you to take over for painfully-shy-girl for a few minutes." Dick said.

The look Barbara gave him informed him that he had said the wrong thing.

"Her name is Jessica." Barbara said using a tone that told Dick to tread carefully.

"Sorry." He said giving a grimace. "I'm not used to knowing her name. Like I said, she usually avoids me." He said trying to smooth things over.

"I don't blame her. You are a whirlwind of personality and you probably scare her to death." Barbara said. "And I'm sure it doesn't help that you go around calling

her 'painfully-shy-girl' either." She added harshly.

"I don't say it to her face!" Dick said defensively. Why did it always have to be this way between them?

"But you say it to other people." Barbara said matter-of-factly.

"Well . . ." Dick sputtered. He shuffled his feet. "Not a _lot _of people." He said sheepishly.

"And how do you know that one of those times she didn't accidentally hear you say that? Or how do you know that someone didn't tell her that you said that. Or how

do you know that someone didn't repeat what you said to her face?" She pressed him.

"You can stop with the hypotheticals." He said demandingly.

"The problem with you is that you don't consider the consequences of what you say." She said glaring at him.

"You can't . . ." Dick bit back words. Why did it always have to come down to this? Why did it always come down to his big mouth that one single night?

They stood there glaring at each other. Barbara turned and started to walk away.

"Can I ever be right?" He said calling after her desperately.

She spun around on her heel and walked back to face him.

"Fine. You can be right about one thing."

"You're so generous." Dick said with a snort. He had just about had it.

Barbara's eyes hardened.

"You said . . . that one night that you thought we could be friends if we never talked. You were right about that." She turned and walked away.

Dick let her go.

* * *

Dick threw his suit jacket on the floor as soon as he entered the room. He paced the room completely frustrated. Why is it that he couldn't win with her? Was she

trying to be disagreeable?

He sat down heavily on his bed and kicked off his shoes. A thunk sounded as each one hit the wall.

"Please try and be careful." A voice broke in politely.

Dick looked over to see Alfred standing in the doorway. He had forgotten to shut the door.

"Sorry." He muttered, but didn't bother to get up and retrieve his shoes. Alfred stood in the doorway silently.

"Master Bruce said that you seemed somewhat in a mood." Alfred said carefully watching Dick's face.

Dick stood up and walked over to his closet.

"Bruce is as sharp as ever, isn't he?" Dick said, not even trying to hide his sarcasm. He shoved aside hangers in his closet although, he wasn't even sure what he

was looking for.

"Perhaps you are trying too hard to reconcile with her." Alfred said softly.

Dick wasn't surprised that Alfred had picked up immediately on the situation.

"Like she'd even give me the chance." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Alfred said sharply not hearing what Dick had mumbled.

Dick heaved a sigh.

"Nothing." He said in a low voice. "I guess it really doesn't matter though." He added in a thoughtful voice.

"Why is that?"

Dick turned to glance at Alfred and then stared back at into his closet.

"Because whether Bruce admits it or not, he has decided to trust Gordon. And I guess that means that there is no real point anymore in trying to be friends with her.

The jig is up, the decision has been made, and she will be much happier without me getting in her way." Dick finished his small speech by swallowing the lump that

had formed in his throat.

"I see." Alfred said shortly. "And how would you feel about that?"

"It doesn't matter." He said dismissively as he brushed past Alfred as he left the room eager to get away from the current conversation.

* * *

After that, Dick didn't feel like doing much of anything. Everything became blurry. He felt like he was constantly living in a fog. He found himself getting irritated

easily and was getting tired of feeling that way. Sometimes, he found that he could stare out into space for hours without feeling like any time had passed.

* * *

After a week, Bruce had had enough of it.

"What is wrong with him?" He asked Alfred after coming up to the kitchen one night.

"Who?" Alfred asked as he stopped in the process of cleaning the counter.

"Dick." Bruce stated.

Alfred waited a second before answering.

"Have you tried asking him?" He said as he started to wipe down the counter again.

Bruce gave a huff.

"He's not ten anymore Alfred. He rarely tells me anything anymore. You know that."

"You never ask him anymore." Alfred countered. "You know, sometimes I think that I am just a glorified message deliverer between the two of you. I make it very

easy for both of you to avoid each other and whenever you want to know something about the other one of you, all you have to do is ask me."

"I don't thin . . ."

"You two can talk for hours about this villain or that . . . whatever . . ." Alfred said breaking in. "But you never talk about anything real."

"That's real!" Bruce said objecting. Alfred shot him a look that made Bruce shut up.

Bruce waited a moment before continuing.

"I just have no idea where his head is. Last night he seemed a million miles away and I do not want to tell you how close he got to having his head lopped off!"

Bruce said as he watched Alfred wince. "And this hasn't just been going on lately. You made two dozen cookies last week and there are twenty-two still in there. He

usually eats about . . ."

"You are not telling me," Alfred broke in. "That you have how many cookies that boy eats in a day down to an exact science, and you cannot figure out what is

wrong with him?"

If Alfred had been looking closely, he might have called the expression that crossed Bruce's face as sheepish.

"I just want to know." Bruce stated firmly, but politely.

Alfred stared at the floor before answering.

"He's in love."

Bruce's face scrunched with confusion.

"Love? What . . . with who?"

"Barbara Gordon." Alfred said simply. The confusion on Bruce's face didn't clear up.

"I thought she didn't like him."

Alfred sighed.

"She doesn't. Hence the problem. He's unhappily in love." Alfred said as he walked past Bruce to get to the sink.

"So then what is the point?"

Alfred gave Bruce a cold look.

"I doubt the boy chooses to be so." Alfred said evenly.

Bruce stood there in thought.

"Barbara Gordon." He repeated. "I don't know if I would have approved of that. Seems like a conflict of interest."

"I doubt Master Dick would have cared what you thought." Alfred said stiffly.

Bruce seemed to give a snort.

"You don't have to tell me that." Bruce said as Alfred was stated the obvious. "I just want his head to be focused. You should want that too, before something bad

happens." Bruce added emphatically.

* * *

A soft knock came to Dick's door. Dick let out a groan as he looked up from his text book that he really wasn't reading.

"Yea?" He called out.

"May I enter?"

Dick shut his book and figured that there was no point in saying no.

"Yea, come in."

The butler entered the room carrying a silver tray.

"You should really let some more light in here, sir. Especially, if you are reading." He tacked on.

He gently set down the tray next to Dick. There were two cookies and a glass of milk. Dick eyed them with suspicion.

"Master Bruce is worried about your cookie consumption." Alfred explained.

"Ah, huh." Dick said unconvinced.

"Well to be more honest," Alfred went on. "He's worried about you in general."

"Worried? I don't think that Bruce has that setting. Irritated is the word you're looking for." Dick said with sarcasm.

Alfred folded his hands in front of him and stared at the young man.

"However, I do thank you for not sending him up here to talk to me. That's just awkward." Dick said not bothering another glance at the cookies.

"Sometimes I think that it is necessary between you two." Alfred stated. "Otherwise you both are content to ignore each other."

"It's not that. It's just that we both already know what the other one of us is going to say."

Alfred scoffed.

"No, seriously." Dick said standing up. "Let's say I tell him about this. Do you know what he would say? I do. I can tell you without a doubt. He'd say, 'what's the

point? Why waste your time on a girl who doesn't like you?'"

Dick watched as Alfred's lips pressed firmly together.

"Ha, see? I knew it. He already has." Dick said darkly.

Alfred found he had nothing to say.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Okay, just some stuff to tack in here—there are under ten chapters left, and after this one here things are going to start moving

quickly. (You mean something is actually going to happen? you ask. You're shocked I know. :}) So hang on tight . . .

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **Was going to update yesterday, then I fell asleep . . . didn't accomplish much after that.

**Let's See Here:**

**jdcocoagirl**: Seamlessly? I'm not even sure that _I _think that, but thanks! :D

**LordOfTheBooks****:** I know, I know . . . sorry . . . sorry! Character development? You think so? Wow, you people are being nice today.

**1rx4u**: Chance of that happening . . . not good. Thanks anyway!

**Godgirl4ever****: **I also accept limericks. ;) Thanks for reading!

**soccernin19****: **I know! (Love you pic by the way)

**SkyMyst**: "Seemed very in character" . . . Me—floored. Writing for Bruce still kind of scares me . . . About the kids thing, I think it did, but I might be the only one

who is thinking that because I'm the one who wrote it. : /

**Laura**: Poor Dick. I'm hard on him here. Things should be looking his way soon.

**3 Nightwing 3: ***looking at date* Well, I didn't wait a _full _week so . . . I think I meant _faster_ as in timeline sense of the story. It was slow in the beginning and

everything is going to come together quicklier (that should be a word) in these last chapters. But for you, I'll try to update . . . . sometime soon again.

On the Bruce/Dick front I don't think I entirely mesh things back together, but if memories serves in the end I leave you with some hope. This is confusing . . . you'll

just have to wait and see. Sequel? Not unless my brain dreams one up and it usually doesn't, but who knows?

**Disclaimer: **I do _not _own Batman . . . or Pringles, or Fruit Loops . . . do you have to rub it in?

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: One More Chance, An Interesting Talk

Gordon felt someone staring at him a few seconds after he sat down in his seat.

"Give me a moment." He muttered under his breath as if Batman could hear him. He finished up as quickly as possible knowing that Batman would be not happy to

be kept waiting.

Shoving random papers into drawers he grabbed his jacket off his chair and headed up.

"I cannot wait until it's summer!" Gordon announced as soon as he saw Batman. "This wind is terrible." As expected, Batman made no comment on the weather.

"That scrap of paper you found."

"What about it?" Gordon asked interested.

"I have seen it before. On a different case. One that Commissioner Branson was working on."

"Forgive my bad memory. But he was the one removed on ethical charges, right?" Gordon clarified.

"Yes." Batman stated it in a tone of voice that made Gordon wish that he had not have brought it up.

"As I was saying, the same type of code was found once on a case involving the docks."

"The docks where most people don't go?" Gordon asked.

"Which brings us to Baxby." Batman said not answering the question.

"Baxby again?" Gordon said. Batman gave a slight nod.

"He first showed up in Gotham around that time. Something has always been off about him."

"Hold on." Gordon said raising a hand. "We are still speaking hypothetically, right?"

"If you prefer." Batman said tersely.

"Well, if there is no proof, then I prefer it that way." Gordon said firmly. "So are you telling me that you are trying to tie all this together? Bank robbers, Baxby, and

something going down at the docks?"

"If you check police records, last month a money transfer between a gang and suppliers was halted. This left the gang without their goods and a supplier without his

money."

Gordon hated to ask a question since he was getting the feeling that Batman didn't like them.

"So you stopped it, which left a void of money. Money, that a gang needed to buy supplies, which come in through the docks." Gordon said. Batman didn't contradict

any of it, so Gordon was on the right track.

"I was thinking that the whole bank thing was odd, but I'm a lousy judge of what is odd in this town." Gordon admitted.

"The gang that needed that money now have it. Which means a deal will be in the works soon." Batman said giving a glance down at the streets.

"So we have to be on the lookout for activity down there." Gordon mused.

"They are smart. If it's anything like they usually pull, they will try to draw attention away from the docks by creating another disturbance in town."

Gordon started to pace.

"They will create a situation that they can control and then use our reaction against us." He huffed. "So we have to work quicker than they do."

"Be careful of what you tell Baxby. If he is involved, he will undermine what you are trying to do."

"I'll be careful." Gordon promised. "If Baxby is involved that would make things easier for the gangs. He can tell them the best time to strike and where the best

place would be. But it still is all hypothetical." Gordon reminded him.

"Not for long." Batman said, and to be honest, Gordon believed him.

* * *

Barbara sat outside of the library trying to finish up her last paper so that she could start on another one. Funny how that cycle worked.

A shadow fell across her laptop.

"Hi."

Barbara looked up slowly to gaze at Dick Grayson.

She reluctantly gave a small smile. She hadn't actually seen too much of him lately. Which she didn't mind, she told herself. But what she had seen of him was odd.

He was acting differently. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like it was something in his eyes. They just seemed not to be as happy as he always usually

was. It was almost . . . worrying.

Not that it was any of her business. She reprimanded herself.

"Hi . . .?" He repeated with an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, spaced out." She explained quickly after she cleared her throat. "Did you need something?"

At times like these, she wished that it could be normal between the two of them, but . . .

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I . . ."

She hated the expression that crossed his face the—one that was a mix between a hurt child and an injured puppy. For some reason, it was the expression that he

wore the most around her now. No matter what they happened to talk about, he always wore that expression.

She wished he wouldn't. She wished that he would look happy again, and as annoying as his talking about random nonsense was, she would even be willing to

handle some of that.

"Hello?" He waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry. I missed that." Barbara said trying to recover.

He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I just . . . is that your phone?"

Barbara tilted her head towards her book bag and could barely hear a slight buzzing sound. She quickly grabbed it out and opened it up.

"Hello? Dad? Hello?" She repeated quickly. She was relieved that her dad was still on the line.

"Well there you are. Thought that I would never get a hold of you."

"Yea, hi. Sorry I always forget to check my phone in between classes. I just got caught up in working." Barbara glanced back up to see Dick staring at a bulletin that

was posted outside of the library.

"I figured." Her father said understandingly. "Has Richard found you yet?"

Barbara froze. What was her father up to now?

"What? Uh, yea." She answered cryptically.

"Figured he would beat me since you weren't answering your phone."

"Beat you to what Dad?" Barbara said evenly trying to hide any sign of panic. Dick glanced over at her.

"Well believe it or not, I am back over at Wayne Manor. Alfred and I are almost done deciding various stuff about the police benefit, but I wanted you to choose

something for me, because both Alfred and I agree that a woman needs to decide it." He said cheerfully.

Barbara relaxed.

"So I just need to pick one of the options that Dick has?" She asked.

"Oh, I didn't think of that. Alfred, we could have just sent the samples with Richard." She heard her father say. She heard a voice respond in the background.

"So what is going on?" She dared to ask now dreading the answer.

"Well, I need you over here, so Richard was going to bring you back with him."

Barbara resisted the urge to put a hand to her forehead.

"Uh, Dad . . ." Barbara said knowing her father would pick up on her tone.

"I'll see you when you get here." He said and Barbara knew her father well enough that it was all decided and that nothing she could say would get her out of it.

* * *

Dick stood there awkwardly. Barbara was good at acting, but the current performance wasn't that good. She hated the idea. He could tell.

As soon as she hung up and threw her phone back into her purse, she took a deep breath.

"You know what? It's fine, I can take a bus."

"Buses don't go out that way." He said simply.

"I will walk then." She stated firmly picking up her bag.

"It would take you a whole day to walk that far. Plus you would probably end up getting hit by a truck or something." He argued as she started walking.

"I'm a good walker!" She said as she hurried down the stairs. "I walk a ton; I'll be fine."

Dick stopped walking as soon as his feet hit the concrete of the steps in front of the school.

"Barbara." He said firmly. His voice caused her to stop. "Even if you _could _walk that far, I couldn't let you."

"Why is that?" She asked as stopped to face him.

"Let me play out a hypothetical for you." He said trying to explain. "Let's say that I am supposed to take you to Wayne Manor and you decided to walk. Let's say that

I let you walk there. If anything, _anything _happens to you on the way there. Whose fault does it become? Mine."

"No it would not!" She said fiercely. "It would be my decision and thus my responsibility!"

"I don't think your dad would see it that way." He said. "And I really don't want to be shot."

He watched her eyes narrow.

"He wouldn't shoot you."

"I don't want to be thrown in jail then."

"You would not have committed a crime." Barbara said as she began to walk again.

"Then I'm walking with you." He said throwing his hands up as he started to follow.

"No, you are not." Barbara said coming to a stop.

They both stood there outside of school staring at each other.

"I promise not to talk the entire way over if you let me drive you." Dick said after a minute. As much as he hated it, he knew that she would be willing to go if such

an offer was made.

Barbara looked at the ground.

"Fine." She said softly.

"Come on then." He replied as he stepped out into the parking lot. Barbara followed silently behind him.

You would have thought they were heading to a funeral.

As Dick waited for Barbara to get situated inside the car he tried to remember what Kelly had told him earlier in the day. She had actually gone out looking for him.

* * *

"Dick!"

He slowly turned around as watched as Kelly came to a halt in front of him.

"Do not tell me you are giving up!" She said with the full authority of a mother.

Dick slumped a bit, before straitening back up.

"Listen, Kelly . . ."

"You can't just give, up! Not now!" She insisted.

"It's hopeless, Kelly. It's obvious that I am just an annoyance in her life and she would be happier if I weren't in it."

"Oh, really?" Kelly exclaimed. "Is that what she's gotten you to think?"

"What are you talking about?" Dick questioned.

"Richard Grayson, if there is one thing that I know, it is this. If that she didn't like you, it would be easier for her to tolerate you. However, at this point she is acting

like she can't even stand your presence, which in my mind means that you are winning!"

"You're telling me that you think that she likes me because she is acting like she hates me?

Kelly repeated what he said to herself.

"Yes. That's what I mean." She stated.

"Are you sure?"

"Honestly, she really has you convinced that she doesn't like you." Kelly said with a shake of her head. "Stubborn girl."

"You think I have a chance then?" Dick asked feeling hopeful. He wondered what the chance was that Kelly was right.

Kelly patted his shoulder and gave him a wink.

Dick took a deep breath.

All he needed was one more chance.

* * *

He looked back over at Barbara and was about to ask a question when he realized that he promised that he wouldn't talk. He tapped the steering wheel and kept his

eyes on the road as the miles flew past.

He hoped that maybe she would say something, but Barbara seemed to have no inclination to speak.

"Could you stop doing that?" She said out of the blue.

Dick froze.

"I don't . . . wait a minute. I'm not doing anything! Why are you always in attack mode?" He questioned forgetting his vow of silence.

She didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, you are. You are always constantly humming!" She argued.

"Hum . . .really? I do?"

She glared at him as if she thought he was kidding.

"Seriously, I do?" He asked again. "What do I hum?"

"I don't know." Barbara replied pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's some broken tune. I've never heard it before."

"Do you remember any of it?" He asked as he made a left turn.

"Not really." She stated.

"And I do it all the time?" He asked.

Barbara shrugged.

"Usually in school."

Dick blinked. What was he humming? A broken tune? What . . .

A thought occurred to him. A chance—and he was going to take it.

* * *

As soon as Dick parked the car and got out, Barbara noticed something.

He was acting different again—like he was on a mission or something. There was a slight . . . spring in his step as he led the way to the front door and dug a key out

of his pocket. He kept looking back at her as if to make sure that she was still following.

Barbara waited patiently for him to say something, but he didn't.

As soon as he pushed the front door open, Alfred's voice could be heard.

"Master Dick? Is that you?"

A grin crossed Dick's face.

"No Alfred, some random crazy person just came through the front door." Dick said in a serious voice that made Barbara fight back a smile. He was back to being

goofy she noticed.

"Oh, dear. Well, I hope that Miss Gordon is with him." Alfred said as he appeared coming out of one of the rooms.

"I'm in one piece." Barbara said, feeling that it was her turn to say something.

"Well, I should hope so." Alfred said with a glance in Dick's direction. "Your father is right in . . ."

"Can it wait a moment Alfred?" Dick broke in. "I want to show her something."

Barbara stood there not knowing what to say. What was he up to?

Alfred looked unsure.

"I suppose." Was the answer he gave, although the look he gave Dick did not escape her notice.

"Come on." Dick said encouragingly as he went around the corner and trotted up some flights of steps.

Barbara followed cautiously. She hadn't seen this part of the house, but she tried not to get caught up in its décor and tried to focus on what was going on.

He weaved around a few more corners and finally arrived outside of a door.

"Keeping up?" He asked her now back in his lighthearted tone.

Barbara nodded. She couldn't believe that he made that trek every day. No wonder Alfred was so thin. Walking around this house was like a weight loss program.

He opened the door to reveal a very simple room. It was actually pretty clean for its being a guy's room, but then perhaps Barbara was being stereotypical.

"It might take a minute." Dick said in way of a warning.

Although the room was simple, it wasn't by any means small. Barbara was envious of the space. She turned a full circle around the room and looked back at Dick

who had walked into his closet and who could be heard rummaging for . . . something.

"Okay here we go." He announced. Barbara tore her gaze away from the window overlooking the garden and back to him. "Sit down." He instructed.

Barbara looked around and finally sat on the edge of his bed.

Dick held out to her a small wooden box.

As she took it carefully, she noticed that it was a worn little box. Its carving was not elegant and it bore no design except a simple swirl carved into the top with

some faded painted words in a language that she didn't recognized.

"Open it." He prodded. There was a gleam in his eye when he said it.

Barbara gently lifted the lid fearing that if she did it too fast it might snap off.

As soon as she did, a soft tune began to play –a broken, off key, sounding tune that had no rhythm or theme.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, but Dick started talking in order to give her the answer.

"That is," He explained as he sat down beside her. "One of the only things I have with me that belonged to my parents. My mother actually. I want to say that my

Father said that he broke it, but I can't quite remember that clearly. I was still very young." Dick said as he tried to recall the event.

Barbara stayed silent.

"As long as I've been alive, that box has always played that tune. I've always meant to have it fixed, but I have no idea what the original tune was, and to be

honest, that broken tune brings back more memories than anything else ever could."

Barbara ran her finger reverently over the wooden lid.

Dick bit his lip.

"I guess I always felt silly for not fixing it. What's the point of having something broken lying around? Alfred told me that he didn't think that it was silly at all, but I

still did. That is, until you told me your story about your gloves and I was glad that I wasn't the only person holding on to something like that." He finished saying

softly.

Barbara felt something change inside of her. Suddenly, all the walls that she had built up came crashing down leaving her with nothing to say. She found her eyes

blurry with tears and wanted nothing more than to run away from the awful situation that she had created.

She stood up quickly and handed the box back to him, while being careful not to let him see her face. She didn't even try to speak, she knew that her voice wouldn't

hold for more than a couple words. She left the room and hurried downstairs.

* * *

"Barbara is that you?"

Barbara stopped at the bottom of the stairs thankful that her father had spoken up.

She had found her way back downstairs, but had no idea where to go from there. She quickly followed his voice into another large sitting room.

He was sitting on a couch staring at some papers lying on a coffee table. He stood up immediately when he saw her enter.

"Okay, so I'm ready to go." Barbara announced hoping that her father wouldn't pay too much attention to her face.

"Hold on there a moment Barb, you still need to pick one of these two." Her father said looking up at her with a smile. The expression soon faded.

She shook her head so as to ward off any questions that her father was thinking of asking. He sat back down looking concerned, but continued talking.

"So, which color should the napkins be?" He asked her, sliding over a sample of each.

Barbara picked them up hastily not really caring which one she choose at this point.

"This one." She said placing one on the table. The options were almost identical with white and off white.

"To be honest, neither your father nor I could tell a difference between the two." Alfred said as he entered the room. "How to you take you tea Commissioner?" He

asked.

Gordon shot a look at his daughter and said, "I think that we will have to be going Alfred, but thank you. I can't keep Barbara away from her homework for too long

or she'll get mad at me."

Barbara shot her father a grateful look and managed a smile. He always kept in mind her priorities and she knew especially at the moment, he knew that she

wanted to leave.

Alfred bore the news with a frown.

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that." His frown evened out into a smile. "I suppose I will just have to look forward to seeing both of you at the coming party."

Barbara nodded as her father got back up.

"Okay, then we are off. Thanks for all your help Alfred. Especially since I had basically no idea what I was doing." Gordon said with a smile.

"You did splendidly sir". Alfred said in way of praise.

"Well, thank you, but I'm pretty certain most of it was you." Gordon said trying to make sure that Alfred received some praise as well.

"Dad, can I have the keys? My book bag is getting kind of heavy." Barbara said in effort to hurry up the pleasantries.

"Oh, sure, here you go." Her dad said fishing them out of his pocket. She grabbed them from his hand like they were gold.

"Have a nice evening Miss Gordon." Alfred called as she walked away. She stopped long enough to give him a smile.

She wouldn't admit it, but she practically ran out the front door.

She played with the radio while waiting for her dad. There were no good songs on and everything else was playing the news. Barbara hit the 'off' button now

irritated.

She wrapped her arms around her body as she tried to take her mind off the situation.

* * *

"Well, I'll see you later Alfred." Gordon said as he put his coat on.

"Are you going home for the evening sir?" Alfred asked.

"Unless I'm required elsewhere, so who knows?" Gordon said with a grin.

"I wish you a quiet evening th . . ."

A thumping sound could be heard coming from the upper levels. Alfred turned around right as Dick came racing down the stairs.

He skidded to a stop upon sighting Alfred and the Commissioner.

"Oh, hi." He said sheepishly.

Gordon noticed a look that the boy received from Alfred.

"Honestly, sometimes it seems like they never grow up." Alfred said dryly.

"I'll agree with that, but then on the other hand I would say that they grow up too quickly." Gordon said thinking about his daughter.

"Well, I will see you at least next Saturday at the benefit." Alfred said as he placed his hand on the door knob.

"Wait, _next _Saturday?" Dick broke in. "I thought it was at the end of the month."

"No, it's next week." Alfred clarified to the young man.

"Are you sure?" Dick asked. "That seems kind of soon."

"Yes, next Saturday." Alfred repeated.

"So not the last Saturday . . ."

"Next Saturday." Alfred said firmly as if he didn't want to be asked again.

"Third base." Gordon said breaking into the cycle.

Alfred offered a smile, while Dick looked confused.

"Every heard of Abbott and Costello?" Gordon asked him.

Dick shrugged.

"I'm not that into music." He said simply.

Gordon opened his mouth to explain, but closed it. It was time to go and he was concerned about Barbara.

"Have a good night." Gordon said as to them both as Alfred let him out.

* * *

Master Richard?" Alfred said as they watched the Commissioner walk to his car.

"Yea?"

"I have plenty of questions about the events of the past hour but I will start on this one. You know who Abbott and Costello are." He said pointedly.

"Well, so does Robin. You can never be too careful." Dick said as he watched Gordon tap on the glass window of his car. "Is Barbara out there?" He questioned.

"Yes. I was going to ask what exactly you did to her." Alfred said giving Dick a stern look.

"I didn't do anything!" Dick protested. Well, at least he didn't this time. Well, not really . . .

* * *

Her father knocking on the car window snapped Barbara out of her trance.

She quickly hit the button unlocking the driver side door.

"Sorry, I didn't see you come out." She apologized to him as he lowered himself into the car.

Her father closed the car door and stared over at her with a frown.

She pressed her lips together and looked out the front windshield trying not to let her emotions get to her face. She took in a slow breath and answered the question

she knew that her father wanted to know.

"I am the most horrible person in the world and you should hate me."

* * *

**Random End** **Notes: **Duh, Duh DAAA! (Poorly written dramatic music)

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **(Insert Greeting-)(Inset excuse why I didn't update sooner-)

**Let's See Here:**

**Laura: **Deep breaths, deep breaths, calm down. :)

**LordOfTheBooks****: **Thanks! To answer the question: no. And to be honest, I'm okay with that. This story really doesn't focus too much on the Batman/Robin side of

things except for _*

*Deleted since it has yet to happen.

But really most Dick/Babs stories have that "moment" and, although, I love that to bits, it's been done a thousand times. Plus, I really didn't feel like that fit into the

storyline I had going so . . . no.

**byjfan****: **Aww, thanks!

**Godgirl4ever****: **All your questions shall be answered!

**1rx4u: **To your idea . . . I think the Barbara side of your idea is kind of what I've done, but Dick's side is different—as you will see in the _next_ chapter.

**dcocoagirl****: **Thanks a bunch! This chapter should have what you need.

**soccernin19****: **Serious remorse coming your way.

**Guest: **It's about time right? How can anyone resist it?

**halcyon calamity****: **Loooove them!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Batman, I would also own M&Ms which means that there would be purple ones and more blue ones. (There is never enough blue ones)

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Coming Clean, A Talk with Mom

"Whoa, slow down." Her father ordered.

Barbara shook her head as her mind swirled with everything.

"Please drive." She pleaded quietly. She needed a sometime to regroup and avoid going to tears.

Her father turned the keys in the ignition without a word after giving her another glance.

The ride back was silent.

As soon as she was inside, Barbara flopped onto the ugly couch in the living room.

"Talk to me Barb." Her father said sitting down next to her. "Please."

Barbara shook her head. She tried to gather her strength.

"It's okay. Never mind. I should be making dinner or something." She added trying to speak clearly.

Her father held her down.

"You stay right there." Her father instructed.

Barbara sat there feeling limp. How had she'd screwed this up so badly?

She distantly heard her father calling her name. Looking up at him, she felt that he was a million miles away.

"I will go get something for us to eat, okay? Do you want to come with?" He asked her gently.

"No. Let me stay here. Let me sit here to ponder, in misery, my horribleness."

Gordon had to give a soft smile at his daughter. Only she could think of such large words in an apparent crisis.

He stood up.

"Alright, just don't explode or anything okay? I'll be back quickly." He added giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that it will be alright. You're not a horrible person Barb." Her father said as he tried to comfort her. "You're kind and . . ."

"Please don't . . . not now Dad, I don't deserve it." She protested raising a hand.

Her father closed his mouth knowing that it was pointless to argue with her now.

She watched him zip up his jacket and head out.

She lay down fully on the couch.

* * *

Barbara still felt awful after her father came home.

They ate in silence. She felt his gaze on her the entire meal as she picked at the food that he had brought home.

"What happened, my girl?" Her father asked gently.

Barbara felt her mouth grow dry.

"If you only knew how rude I was Dad. You would hate me."

"Oh, no, Barb."

"If you only knew Dad. I couldn't bear to tell you how awful I was. How I was . . . how I just formed an opinion and ran with it." She broke off as she bit her lip. "You

would be ashamed of me."

"Barbara Gordon, I have never been ashamed you a day in your life. Not since you were born seven pounds . . .ah, some ounces." He said trying to get her to

smile.

"I was so . . . I can't even think about it!" Barbara said standing up and crossing her arms. "All those times, I just kept being stubborn! Partly intentionally, but this

last time was too much, and then . . ." Barbara cut off.

She had been a fool, a stubborn ridiculous fool. So bend on being right that she refused to see the truth.

She heard her father's phone ring.

"I'll be right back." He told her after he pulled it out of his pocket.

Barbara nodded as she tried to take in a breath of air.

She felt incredibly tired all of a sudden so she wandered to her bedroom.

Oddly enough, her own phone rang. She dreaded looking at it.

Please not him.

It was Kelly and for some reason she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Barbara hun, is that you? You sound like you are coming down with a cold. Have you been drinking enough fluids?"

Barbara managed a smile as she listened as Kelly went straight to mother mode.

"No, I'm fine, just . . . stuff. Can I help you?" She asked as she sat down on her bed. She pulled up one leg to rest on the comforter.

"I was just wondering if you remembered seeing my yellow notebook anywhere. The one with the kid's scribbling on it?"

"I'm sorry no." Barbara replied. "Can you not find it? Maybe you left it on our table or in a class. It will turn up probably. It has your name in it and everyone knows

who you are."

"I can hope, but what it wrong with you dear? You don't sound right."

Kelly's words came comfortingly and sweetly across the phone.

"I was being a terrible person Kelly. You knew that, didn't you?" Barbara said with certainty.

Kelly was silent.

"You are a stubborn girl Barbara Gordon. I knew that you would figure it all out on your own. You're smart like that. But can you tell me what happened? I think it

would do you some good."

"I don't know Kelly." Barbara said while staring out the darkened window.

"Who do you usually unload on?" Kelly asked.

Barbara smiled to herself.

"Usually to my mom. Sometimes my dad if he wasn't busy but I hate to bother him."

"Well how about this, pretend I'm your mom and you tell me all about it." Kelly suggested.

"Oh, I don't know." Barbara said. She didn't want to bog down Kelly.

"Go ahead, I'm used to it. Ready?" Kelly asked. She cleared her throat before speaking again.

Barbara is had to smile at the charade.

"Hi, that you dear?"

Hi, mom it's Barbara." She said gently. She smiled despite her gloomy mood as she tried to pretend.

"What's going on dear?"

"Well . . . it's kind of complicated." Barbara sighed pushing back some of her hair. "It kind of involves a guy."

"Reeeeeeeally?"

Barbara put a hand to her face at Kelly's tone.

"It's not like that! Well, it might be a bit like that." She amended.

"Start at the beginning."

"Okay well, I met this guy, but the first time I met him he said something rude about dad and I was seriously trying to hate his guts about it for the rest of my life.

But he was making it hard. He has this irritating way of managing to be funny and sweet all while I'm trying to pretend like he doesn't exist. He keeps trying to

apologize and I have to be all 'high and mighty' and not forgive him because apparently I am the perfect judge of everything!" She said with sarcasm.

"And then," She started up again. "Here he is trying to be nice to me and I keep blowing him off because I've decided that he is a jerk when it is completely

apparent that I'm the one that is actually being the jerk. Not that he points out that, although he might have made a snap decision about dad, I've equally made one

about him. We were both wrong and he was the first one to realize it. But no! I had to keep holding it against him lest I . . ."

Barbara pulled both her feet up and laid her back against the wall.

" . . . and when Dad made me go to the opera with him I thought that I was going to die, but instead he was perfectly sweet and oddly enough I think that we both

had fun. We had things in common as much as I tried to deny it. And then before he left, he kissed me and I just had to kiss back because it seemed like the most

natural thing in the world.

And then I got mad again. I just seem to lose my temper so easily with him and when I'm really mad he seems to lose his patience. And this last time, I just had to

find a way to bring up the whole event just so that we could argue about it. And then I was horrible and said something terrible. You should have seen the look on

his face. It had this terrible look and after some time had passed I wished I would have gone back and apologized, not that I deserved to be forgiven since I

wouldn't forgive him."

Barbara stared up at her ceiling fan as it hung there motionless.

"He showed me something of his Mom's that he holds onto just like my silly gloves. We aren't that different. I was trying so hard not to like him, but now I realized

that I do, but now . . ." Barbara took in a breath of air.

"And now I have no idea what to do. I'm stuck in a situation I built for myself and I can't find a way out. I don't think I can face him. What do you think Mom? Mom?

M . . . I mean Kelly?" Barbara said remembering.

There was silence. Barbara glanced up at the clock. It was pretty late.

"Goodnight Kelly. Thanks a lot." She said quietly into the phone before hanging up.

She didn't feel much better, but she did feel less weighed down. And that was something.

* * *

The next thing that she heard was a knocking noise.

Opening her eyes, she found herself on her bed still dressed in the same clothes as the night before.

"Come in." She said while yawning.

Her father stuck his head through the open crack.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Barbara gave a tired smile. Her sleep really had not been the best.

"I'm okay." She answered as she tried to refocus her mind.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked.

Barbara let out a soft sigh. Her father was never one to push if she didn't want her to.

"You were kind of using big words and you were not being specific." He said gently.

Barbara swallowed her pride, and spoke.

"Well, do you remember that night we left Wayne Manor? On the drive home we were talking and we disagreed on something? Do you remember?" She said biting

her lip.

Her father's quick mind pulled up the answer.

"Richard Grayson. You didn't like him." He stated.

"Yea, well, I let's say was wrong about that one. You were right." Barbara admitted.

They were hard words to say, but necessary to say.

"That night something happened and then I kind of blew things out of proportion and basically behaved terribly." Barbara said honestly.

Her father looked confused.

"So why were you being rude to him? I don't understand. And another thing I don't understand is why you would hold something against him for so long. You usually

do the right thing, unless . . . but you said that _I _was right about him being nice, so . . . it's not like . . ."

Her father got the expression on his face that Barbara knew meant that he was thinking deeply.

"There is only one thing that I know of that you usually desperately hold a grudge over."

Barbara winced.

"You are not supposed to take things that people say about me to heart Barb. You know that." Her father said sternly. "Although, I guess I would say that I'm a little

surprised that . . ."

"I know right?" Barbara said breaking in. "So, I just overheard him say something and I've been holding it against him this entire time! He's tried to apologized, but

I kept being stubborn . . ."

"I sent you to the opera with him." Her father said.

"Yea, that was unfortunate." Barbara said as she watched the realization of the situation hit her father. Although, looking back now, she didn't mind it too much. Not

that she was going to tell him why.

"You could have told me." Her father said in a reproachful voice.

Barbara rubbed the side of her face.

"Maybe . . ." She said sheepishly. "I guess I knew that you would be ashamed of me."

"So what happened? To change your mind, I mean." He said with interest.

Barbara stood up suddenly as she felt her face flush.

"Well, uh." She started straightening her bed. "I just saw that I was being unfair and um . . ."

Her father waited for a full answer.

"Wow, ah, I have got to get ready for school and you should have left for work already." She said as she opened her closet.

"I can come in late once in a while. Baxby is capable of handling things for a bit."

"Oh, how is that going? I mean with uh, Batman not thinking that you can trust him and whatever."

She felt her father kiss the back of her head.

"I'm glad I was right." He told her. She could hear a smile in his voice. "And I'm glad you're over your grudge."

"Yea, I guess I just don't know what to do then." Barbara said.

"Tell him you forgive him and then ask him to forgive you. I'm sure he will." He father said with certainty.

"Yea, that's the problem. I know he would immediately and that only makes me feel worse about the way I've treated him." She said solemnly.

"Best do it sooner than later." Her father cautioned. "I guess I should head out and let you get going as well. Have a good day."

"You too." She said giving him a real smile.

Her father nodded and walked back down the hall towards the front door.

Barbara sat back down on her bed.

But not today. Today she was not feeling up to talking to him.

* * *

And she didn't. Not that day, or the day after that . . . days kind of got away from her more then she would have liked. Suddenly one morning as Barbara got her

cup of coffee before the day started, her father said.

"Don't forget about the party this weekend."

"The what?" Barbara said looking up from her notebook. She stopped writing.

"The party. The police officer benefit?" He said expounding.

"Oh, the benefit." Barbara said glancing back over her work. She bit her lip. She really, _really _didn't want to go. There would be no escaping Dick there, plus that

was the place that all the trouble started, and well, ended. She would not be at ease all evening.

"Ah, Dad, I will really have to see." She said after clearing her throat and taking a drink of coffee. "I've got some stuff due and I really need to focus on a few

subjects." She shuffled some paper around in order to find something that was due soon as proof.

Her father gave her a knowing look.

"Alright Barb, you do what is best. Just give me some notice either way, okay?" He asked.

Barbara nodded, although she could have given him the answer right away.

Any other venue, she might have considered going, and she was going to feel badly after her father and Alfred had put so much work into it. But . . . she just

couldn't go. She just couldn't.

* * *

"Are you sure Babs?"

Barbara looked up at her father.

It was the fifth time of the evening that he had asked her the question.

"I think so Dad." She said.

A small frown crossed his face as he stared back at her.

"I'm happy I was actually able to press your suit better this time." She said trying to bring up a happier topic. "I guess practice really is the key."

Her father's frown evened out and he looked over at the clock.

"Well, you better get going. You don't want to be late." Barbara said getting up.

Opening the closest she pulled out his coat and held it out for him.

He took it carefully.

"Really Dad it fine." Barbara said trying to brighten his mood. "I will have more chances. Plenty I have a feeling, but you know how I am about school. So you will

just have to promise that you will behave and not cause trouble since I won't be there."

That got a smile out of him.

"Yes, ma'am." He said with a salute. "But I will miss you."

"Me too." Barbara said. "So have fun and tell me all about it when you get home. I'll probably still be up studying, so don't stay out too late."

"Okay, have a good evening. Call me if you need anything." He instructed.

She agreed and gave him a final hug.

"Tell Alfred 'Hi' from me!" She told him as he stepped out the door.

He paused while holding the door open.

"Anyone else?" He asked with his back towards her.

"No." Barbara answered quickly. She hoped that the cool breeze coming in through the open door cooled down her cheeks before her father turned back around.

"Alright then. Goodnight. I'll try to stay out of trouble." He added with a wink.

"Good." She said.

Barbara really didn't feel badly that she wasn't going. Okay, she felt a bit of guilt on behalf of her dad. She was pretty much willing to go anywhere with him.

Wasn't her being in this town proof of that?

She tried to shake the rest of the guilty feeling off. She _did_ plenty have of work to do and she was going to do it . . . right after she had a snack.

* * *

"Barbara? Barbara?"

"Mmmmm?" She said abstractly as she opened her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Late." Was her father's quick response.

Barbara lifted her head off of her desk and glanced at the clock.

"Whoa. It is late, or early depending on how you look at it." She said giving him a smile. "How did things go?"

"Good, but don't ask me to shake my hand I don't think I have the strength left." Gordon said joking.

"That many people?" She asked with a yawn.

"And then some. Everyone and their Grandmother. Alfred said that he would be sure to get you some pictures."

She smiled. "I bet it looked really nice Dad. I'm very proud."

Her father looked to his feet, smiling at her praise.

"Well, how is the homework front?"

"It's going. I was actually doing well before I nodded off." Barbara said as she rubbed the place where her forehead rested against her book. "Do I have a mark

here?"

"Doesn't look like it." He said after close inspection. "Oh, before I forget, Alfred says 'hello' back. He was instantly worried that you were sick or something when

you weren't with me, but I assured him that you were alright."

Barbara smiled. That sounded exactly like Alfred.

"I, ah, _lied_." Gordon said pointedly. "To Richard and told him that you said 'hi' as well. So, don't get mad at me because it would have been awkward to say that you

didn't say hi when he inquired about you. I told him that you had some studying to do, and then he said that he never let that stop him." Her father stopped there to

grin.

Barbara rolled her eyes. That was Richard Grayson in a nutshell.

"I'd tell you more kiddo, but I better go to bed myself. I may even try and sleep in tomorrow if I remember how." He said with a laugh.

"Okay, Dad. Sleep well." She said giving another yawn.

"You go to bed too." He ordered.

She gave a sleepy nod. Sleeping would not be a hard thing to do.

* * *

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.

**Random End Notes: **See you soon! (But probably not as soon as you would like. :})


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Moving along now . . .

**Let's See Here:**

**WawaNisaDCFan: **Please don't mob my home. :D

**soccernin19****: **When you mess up badly, sometimes you just want to stay home on your couch and not move.

**Laura: **Glad you liked it!

**jdcocoagirl****: **New chapter with a side of forgiveness coming your way.

**1rx4u: **Let's see . . . not long. :) See chapter below.

**Godgirl4ever****: **I could talk about how much I love them for a very long time . . . but we all have stuff to do.

**3 Nightwing 3: **I 3 that. Your own 3 should feel better after reading this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **The writer of this story (which is me) holds no rights (in any way) to the characters of this story. (obviously)

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Another Try, Cheese?

After a much needed quiet Sunday, it was back to business for both Barbara and Commissioner Gordon that Monday.

Barbara ran her finger across the various titles of books as she scanned for the one that she needed. Unlike other kids, Barbara loved doing research. The school's

library, while not as amazingly built as the public one, was a fully functional, state of the art, library.

It definitely didn't have that old book smell. To be honest, it more smelled like coffee and fast food, but it still had great books and that was that all she cared.

Her finger stopped over a title of a book and she pulled it out. There were so many books she wanted to read and yet so many books that she _had _to read. School is

funny like that.

"You should have been there last night. There was red jello."

Barbara stood up straight at the sound of his voice. She should have known that he would try to find her. There was no way that he would let her ignore him forever.

She didn't trust herself to turn around and look at him. She could feel the smile in his voice.

"Yea?" She said softly clutching her book tighter.

"Well, I told Alfred that you liked it, so he made sure that there was some there. No popcorn though, so he must like you better." He teased.

Barbara could not believe that he had remembered about the jello, and was even touched that he made sure that there was some there that night.

* * *

She hadn't turned around yet. Dick followed her to the library after their class was over.

It was funny to watch her get so absorbed by the aisles and aisles of books. It was like she was transported to a different world.

He had to talk to her though. For some reason, it seemed that her father _almost _hinted during the party that he should try again. So here he was.

Before he could start to speak, he felt her take in a deep breath

"Dick, I . . . I'm sorry about being . . ."

He stopped her.

"Hey, no need for that." He said gently.

She turned around quickly.

"But Dick, I . . ."

"I think that we can both agree that this whole mess is my fault." He broke in. "If I hadn't opened my big mouth and . . ."

Barbara shook her head fiercely sending her red hair waving.

"That doesn't excuse me from treating you so horrible. Everything I tried to make you out to be I was actually myself. Judgmental, rude . . ." She argued.

"Babs, you weren't that bad." He said with a smile. She could be so dramatic.

"No. I think I was." She said firmly. "Even if you spend a second to think about it you'll realize that I was."

"But I was wrong first. What I said was wrong, and you know what? You proved that to me. I deserved everything. I _was _being rude."

He watched her bit her lip and shake her head again.

"In the end, _you _changed my mind. You made me see that your dad is going to be the best Commissioner every. You know how? By being one of the best people I

know." He said gently.

"Don't say that." Barbara said almost chocking on her words. "I don't deserve it."

Dick had to smile.

"You are talking this too seriously. Everything is okay now. So how about since I'm to blame for this whole thing getting started, I make it up to you?" He offered.

Her eyes grew soft.

"Dick, no. You don't need to . . ."

"What do you want to go see?" He asked.

"Stop interrupting me." She said in irritation.

He smiled as he watched her fire come back.

"What do you want to go see?" He repeated.

"What do you mean?"

He bit his lip. She was going to make him spell it out.

"Do you want to go out with me or not?" He said plainly.

Barbara's eyes grew wide and she stayed silent.

"Is it that hard to say 'yes' to me Gordon?" He said with a smile.

"Kind of." She told him, but he read between the lines.

"So, what do you want to go see?" He said impatiently.

"Oh, well, I don't really have a schedule on me or anything." She reminded him.

"Oh, come off it. I know you too well. You have every schedule for every play, opera, and ballet memorized don't you?" He charged.

Barbara shook her head.

"Not ballet." She said. "There is something about guys in tights that I find odd."

Dick raised an eyebrow at the comment. She noticed.

"What?" She asked.

"Hmm? Nothing, so what then?" He pressed her.

"What do you want to see?" She asked.

Now she was being nice. She knew that he didn't like operas.

"Whatever makes you happy." He told her honestly.

She fiddled with her book for the next minute and then spoke.

"How about the play _The Importance of Being Ernest_? It's not really long and it's funny." She said brightly.

"Sounds good to me." Dick said happily. He could not believe that this was actually happening. "When does it play? What time?"

Barbara scrunched her eyes in thought.

"On Friday night it plays at eight, and then Saturday at seven."

"You did have it memorized? Wow, you are a brain."

"It just comes naturally." Barbara said proudly.

"So what day is better for you?"

"Um, Saturday I guess, but if that's a problem . . ."

"Not a problem." Dick said. Well, it_ better _not be. But with criminals in Gotham one could never tell.

"What did I say about interrupting me?" Barbara said her eyes narrowing.

Dick once again adored the look that crossed her face.

"Have I ever mentioned that I love your nose when it scrunches up?"

"What?" Barbara said blankly.

"When you get mad at me your nose scrunches up. It's cute."

Barbara touched her nose gently.

"You are so odd at times." She stated.

Dick knew not to be offended in the least.

"I will pick you up a little before five then." He told her.

"Why so early?"

"Because we have to eat." He stated.

"We don't have to." She said, trying to talk him out of it.

"Yes, we do because it's what makes_ me_ happy." He said with a shrug. "And I will be more agreeable the rest of the night."

Barbara shook her head and gave a smile.

"If you want to."

"And I promise not to cause any problems." He said solemnly. "I will out-gentleman Alfred."

Barbara's face said that she doubted it.

"Okay?" He prompted her.

Her mouth twisted for a second.

"Okay." She said looking at him with her blue eyes.

Whatever happened during this week, Dick Grayson was going to do everything in his power to do this night over properly.

* * *

Barbara knocked on the door to her dad's office and waited for a response.

After her father beckoned her in and she sat down across from him, Gordon turned to her with a critical eye.

"So what are you in here for?" He asked her trying to look serious.

"I'm been accused of buying fresh vegetables and turning them into a salad."

Her father raised an eyebrow.

"That is serious Barb. I don't think that even I can get you off the hook. However, if you turn over the evidence I will be happy to put in a good word for you."

Barbara solemnly reached into her bag and pulled out a container of salad that she had brought for his dinner.

He took it and placed it on his desk.

"You know, I was getting hungry. Thanks Barb." He said with an easy smile that broke their charade.

"It's no problem." She responded happily.

She stretched out her arms and gazed around the room.

"It's getting messy again. I know it." Her father said breaking the silence.

"It's can't always be perfect in here dad. You are still a police officer and there is tons of paper work and other stuff that is more than willing to clutter your desk."

She reminded him.

"It's a war I can't seem to win." He added with a smile as he stopped writing to look at her.

"So how was your day? What's happened to brighten your face?" He asked knowingly.

Barbara twisted her hands together. She tried to say something, but then gave a simple shrug.

Her father looked unconvinced.

"How long do you want me to believe that?" He asked her.

Barbara let out a sigh.

"Not too long." She said honestly.

She still really couldn't believe that it had happened. To be honest, she really didn't have to put much thought into saying yes to him. It just happened.

She hoped that her father would be okay with it. She thought he should be but . . .

"So are you going to tell me or what?" He asked her.

"Um, well, I bumped into Dick, well that's not true, he found me in the library . . ."

"Smart place to look." Her father commented.

"Yes, well." Barbara continued remembering where she left off. "And basically I tried to apologize and he told me it wasn't necessary and that the whole thing was

his fault, which only made me feel worse."

Her father cracked a grin.

"See? I told you. He's a nice kid." Her father said.

"Yea, I know. You were right." Barbara said. She hated being wrong, but she didn't mind if her dad won on occasion.

"So everything is okay with you two? I knew it would be. It didn't seem possible that you two couldn't get along." Her father expounded. "Why even Alfred the other

day said . . . I'm getting ahead of myself." Gordon said cutting off.

Barbara raised an eyebrow.

So there had been _talk _about them huh?

"Don't give me that look Barbara." Her father chastised her with a smile. "I guess it was just a misfire between you two."

"Several, I think." Barbara commented.

Her father prompted her to keep talking with a nod of his head.

Barbara thought about pretending that she didn't notice, but decided that there was no point to it.

"So he offered to take me to see something to make up for everything." She said this part carefully so as not to have her father need her to repeat it. She waited

for a response from him.

"And did you say yes?" He questioned her.

Barbara simply shook her head up and down.

"Good." Her father said. "What are you going to see?" He asked lacing his fingers together.

"_The Importance of Being Ernest._ It plays this Saturday." She explained.

"Did I like that? I think we saw that one." He said while trying to recall it.

"Yea, we saw it once."

"Saturday, you said. This coming one?" He questioned.

"Yea. Why did you want us to do something?" She said leaning forward. "Because we still can. I'll just tell him that . . ."

"Nope." Her father stopped her. "I just need to work late some night and I figured if you are going to be gone, I might as well work late that night so that we can

have a different night home together."

Barbara initially was worried that her father had wanted to do something, but his speech convinced her otherwise.

The Gordons shared a smile and Barbara leaned back in her chair. Unlike the infamous, 'day of doom', she really was going to look forward to this . . . date? It was

still a bit odd to use the word.

* * *

Barbara shoved aside various clothing in her closet, pulled out her dress, and hung it on the back of the door.

She stared over at the clock and calculated how much time she still had to get ready. Saturday had come so fast. Reaching her hand up, she re-secured the towel

wrapped around her hair.

So help her she _was _doing something with her hair tonight.

As her phone buzzed, she reached over to read another text from Kelly. It had been the fifty millionth one of the night already. Kelly had been on cloud nine when

she found out and had been going around school like a proud parent. Not that she told anyone why though, that was still the three of theirs secret. At least for now.

Barbara had already sent her a picture of her dress and her shoes. She wondered how on earth Kelly thought she could get ready if she had to stop every other

second to send a reply back.

Taking the towel off her hair, she started pondering options. She thought about curling it maybe, if her hair felt in the mood. Not all of it, just the ends maybe.

She eventually pulled her hair off to one side and let it hang over her shoulder. She then attempted to curl the ends. As she did, she had to think of her mom, and

the first memory she had of her hair being curled.

She was little and didn't like the idea of curls in her hair.

Her mother had told her something like "Oh, come on Barbara, it will look pretty. Some day you are going to want to look pretty for a boy and you will want to curl

your hair."

Barbara remembered her assured response of, "I'm never going to like a boy!"

Barbara let out a smile as she stared into the mirror. Her mother had been right, of course. She had always been right.

"You okay Barb? You look serious."

Barbara turned around to see her father standing in her room.

"I'm fine Dad." She answered reassuringly. "Just having a flashback. That's all."

She looked him over.

"Are_ you_ okay? You look . . ."

"Just a bit tired maybe. Don't worry. Just thinking of what I have to get done tonight. You have a good evening okay? And tell Richard that I am not avoiding him,

and that I am sure that I will manage some other time to see you off properly." He told her.

"Some other time?" Barbara said pointedly.

Her father shrugged.

"You never know." He said with a wink. "I supposed you can still hold the humming against him right?"

Barbara shook her head.

"Nope, that one is fine now too." She told him.

"Really? Wow, everything is working out then." Her father said, looking a bit too happy for Barbara liking. "You don't need anything else do you? You have your

phone right? And your key to the house?"

"Check and check." Barbara recited.

Her father gave a nod.

"Alright then, I am off. Wish me luck okay?"

He said it in a tone that gave Barbara pause.

Usually, the request was a lighthearted one, but something was different this time.

"Okay." She said after a minute. Her father kissed the top of her head and left the room.

"And don't forget to leave a light on!" He called down the hall.

"I won't!" Barbara yelled back. "Have a good night!"

She heard the door shut and turned back to her reflection. Her eye caught the time on the clock.

"Ah! I have to hurry." She said grabbing her comb.

* * *

The doorbell rang precisely on time sending Barbara into a last minute panic.

Stopping by the door, she smoothed down her dress as if it might have wrinkles—it didn't.

Taking a moment to get a breath of air, she calmly released it and opened the door . . . and burst out laughing.

There Dick stood looking perfectly dapper in his black coat. But now added to his ensemble was one black top hat.

"Now, I wish I had elbow length gloves!" Barbara exclaimed as she sat down in his car. "Where on earth did you find one?" She asked as she turned the hat around

in her hands.

"This old thing?" Dick said with a smile. "Well, I thought I saw it once in some closet, so I went looking for it and after looking through ten closets I got smart and

asked Alfred who then was unfairly suspicious of why I needed one."

Barbara grinned at the thought.

"Whose is it?"

"Bruce's I guess." Dick said with a shrug as he started his car.

The Camaro sprung to life.

"Will he miss it?" She asked.

"Miss a hat I've never seen him wear? I doubt it." Dick said nonchalantly.

* * *

He was pleased that she found the top hat funny. He wanted to be sure to start _this _date out on a good note, and making her smile was the best note he could think

of.

He smiled as he watched her stare it over. He imagined that she was trying to guess how old it was or some such nostalgic notion.

The ride to the restaurant was so much nicer than their first ride together. Both of them were at ease and quickly ready to talk about anything that caught their

fancy.

As Dick pulled up to the restaurant, Barbara's door was opened by the valet. Dick reached over to take the hat from Barbara.

"You are _not _going to wear this in there are you?" She questioned him.

Picking up on her tone, he put the hat back down.

"You're in charge." He said politely. He swiftly handed the keys to his car over and walked beside her into the restaurant.

"Why did you not want me to wear that hat?" He whispered to her as they entered.

"Because you would have attracted attention and I do not like people staring at me." She whispered back.

"That's going to be a problem then." Dick told her.

Barbara looked over at him as he stared at her pointedly.

He watched as she blushed slightly and turned away to once again fiddle her dress.

They were quickly led to their table, and Dick watched Barbara's expression as she was seated.

There were always flowers at every table, but Dick had asked for pink gerbera daisy to be at theirs.

Her eyes slightly widened as she noticed. A touched looked crossed her face and then she looked at the floor as the maître de helped her sit.

"Question." He said and she looked up over at him with a hint of pink in her cheeks. "What do you have against red roses?"

Barbara cocked her head.

"When I sent you that flower and I asked Kelly what kind you liked she of course told me, but then she added that you didn't like red roses."

"Oh, I just think that they're snotty." She said simply.

"They're flowers." Dick with confusion, although he knew that with Barbara she would have some reason.

"Red roses think that they are so important. Everyone likes red roses. I just think that they are not as 'all that' as everyone thinks." She said as if that was a perfect

explanation.

Dick grinned and shook his head.

"You are as odd as I am, admit it." He whispered to her before their menus were brought.

Barbara opened hers up without a response. Dick did likewise.

"We are going to be such a goofy couple." He added.

Barbara's eyes narrowed as she looked over her menu at him.

"We aren't a couple." She said firmly.

"Sure we are." Dick said playfully.

"No, we aren't." She said in the same tone.

"Shh. People will stare!" Dick warned as he ducked his head behind the menu again.

He almost heard her laugh.

* * *

Barbara grinned into her menu trying hard not to let the laugh escape her lips. He had annoying way of getting her to smile when he wanted to.

She straightened up her back and legitimately began to read the menu.

"Are you ignoring me?"

Barbara lowered her menu to look over at Dick.

"Sorry I wasn't listening." She said honestly.

"Okaaaay." He said in a sing-song voice. He gave her a grin.

"What did you ask?" She asked him.

"Well, I was going to ask if . . ." He paused. Setting down his menu, he fished his phone out of his pocket and laid it down at the table.

"Anyway, I was asking if you . . . if you . . ." He paused and Barbara watched as he rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"What?" Dick looked up sharply. "Uh, not really. Bruce just never remembers what I'm doing most days." He said with a light grin as he stuffed the phone back in his

pocket.

Barbara gave an understanding nod, not that she truly understood.

"Question?" She asked. He looked up happily as she used his word.

"Sure." He said easily.

"Was it hard getting used to it?" She asked carefully. "I mean . . ."

"Was it hard going from a circus to Bruce Wayne's 'kid'?" He said perceptively.

Barbara winced at his bluntness. Maybe, she shouldn't have asked.

Dick tapped his fingers against the table.

"Sometimes it seems like one huge blur. So much changed in that time, that it is hard to focus on one particular thing. I guess I would say that although I'm used to

it now, some days I'm still really not. To be honest, every once in a while I almost forget how it used to be." Dick stopped quickly. "Wow, I suppose that is a really

horrible thing to say."

Now Barbara felt really bad for bringing the whole thing up.

"In the end, I'm still not really good at playing who I am supposed to be. The real me doesn't always fit into Bruce's world. But I guess that is to be expected." He

continued.

Dick's blue eyes looked glassy and distant, but then he snapped out of it in a blink.

"Wow, I am completely unloading on you." He said suddenly with a grin.

"No, it's my fault." Barbara assured him quickly. "We'll stick to happier topics."

Halfway through their meal, Barbara felt her own phone buzz. She stopped to see if it was her dad—it was Kelly.

Barbara gave a sigh.

"Whut?" Dick asked.

His fork suddenly clanked against his plate as he dropped it suddenly.

Barbara looked over worried that he had burnt his mouth or something, but Dick's face held a sheepish grin.

"Don't tell Alfred that." He ordered her seriously.

"Tell him what?" She questioned.

Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, good you didn't notice."

"Notice what?" She asked. What had she missed? "Tell me." She ordered.

Dick picked up his fork and spun it in his hand.

"I kind of have a bad habit of talking with food in my mouth. Alfred, mark my words, will kill me if he finds out."

His serious tone informed her that he wasn't entirely kidding.

"Okay, I promise." Barbara said solemnly.

"So." Dick said after clearing his throat. "What is up?"

"It's Kelly." Barbara explained. "She has been texting me a _gazillion _times wanting to know everything."

Dick gave an understanding smile at this.

"She wants to know this, and that, and everything in between. She wants information, pictures. . ."

"Let's send her one." Dick broke in.

"Of what?" Barbara said. She looked around the room trying to find something of interest.

"Oh, I don't know. How about . . . us?" Dick said flashing a smile.

"Us?"

"Is it that crazy of any idea?" Dick said as if he felt her hesitation. "Oh, come on." He said encouragingly as he stood up scooping up Barbara's phone off the table.

"Wait, uh." Barbara said while running a hand through her hair. "I don't know if the lighting is the best in here."

Dick gave her a look.

"Are we sending the picture to Kelly or National Geographic?"

Barbara gave in and stood up carefully removing the napkin from her lap. She ran her hands down the front of her dress and hoped that her hair was okay.

"Barbara?" Dick asked as he watched her.

"Uh, huh?"

"You look gorgeous." He said simply. That made her pause and she tried to not act too pleased by his comment.

"You ready?" He asked her.

Deciding that she looked okay, she gave him a nod. She walked around to stand next to him.

After watching her for a moment longer, Dick looped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

The action caused a shiver to travel up her spin although she was perfectly warm in the heated room.

"You can't stand a mile away." He told her over her shoulder. Barbara managed to nod.

"Okay . . . here we go." Dick said as he held her phone out in front of them. "Say, banana car."

"Wait what?" Barbara said right as Dick took the picture.

"Aww, Babs." He said as he stared at the picture. He turned it around for her to see.

Her mouth was unattractively hanging open.

"Try again?" He asked her.

"Wait, what did you say? Aren't you supposed to say 'cheese'?" She questioned. The look he gave her told her that there was a story behind this.

"The rule is that you have to pick two random words and say them."

"Who made this rule?" She said knowing that this was a silly question for which there was a silly answer.

"Someone somewhere. I can't really remember the details." He said with a shrug and a grin that won her over. "So since you didn't like mine, you think one up."

Barbara paused. Being goofy was really more his thing.

"Hurry up, my food is getting cold." He complained with a teasing voice.

Barbara nodded that she was ready and Dick handed her the phone and wrapped his arm around her waist again.

"Peanut fuzz!" Barbara said as she snapped the picture. She heard Dick laugh over her shoulder. Turing the phone around, there was displayed a perfect picture of

the both of them.

Barbara was relieved to see that her hair was fine.

"Good?" Dick asked her before he sat down.

"Yea." Barbara replied as she quickly sent the picture to Kelly. Her reply came quickly.

"_You look amazing Barbara! _

_And hello! Cute guy behind you. ;) Just saying. _

"What does she think?" Barbara looked up from her phone to stare over at Dick who waited for an answer.

"Oh, ah. . ." Barbara tried to think of what to say that didn't say too much.

"She likes it and says we both look nice." Barbara said simply. Dick looked like he was waiting for something else to be said.

"Um, she said it's cute." Barbara added shortly.

Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I should think so, you're in the picture."

Barbara shot him a glare.

"You better be careful flirt boy or you are going to run out of charm before this dinner is over."

"No way." Dick argued before he took a drink of water.

Barbara turned her attention back to her food and rolled her eyes.

This was going to be a nice night.

* * *

**Random End Notes:**

_The Importance of Being Earnest_~ Oscar Wilde –If you ever want to read a fun play, there you go.

I love how this chapter goes from serious right down to fluff alley. I can be such a goof. More good stuff to come!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **I have other things that I should be doing at the moment, but . . . . here I am.

**Let's See Here:**

**LordOfTheBooks****: **I can't quite tell whether you are asking if Dick is ever going to be a happy mood for a long time or that you think Dick is being _too _happy—I'm

thinking that you are asking the first so if that is the case, then yes.

**AnonymousInternetNinja****: **Thanks a bunch and your flattery is appreciated. :)

**jdcocoagirl****: **Indeed. :D

**Godgirl4ever****: **I truly have no idea. Thanks for reading!

**byjfan****: **Only took me over half the story, but we are here!

**soccernin19****: **Much obliged. They are stinking cute!

**SkyMyst: ***Fanfare*

**Disclaimer: **I begged, I borrowed, I considered stealing, but they still told me that I couldn't own Batman. : (

* * *

Chapter Twenty: The Play's the Thing, Chaos

The drive to the theater went smoothly, with each of them talking about various things that were not entirely serious. Dick was always trying to be lighthearted which

in most cases meant goofy and Barbara was constantly trying to pull the conversation back to something legitimate. But it was this steady back and forth that lent a

nice backdrop to the drive there.

"You ready?" Dick asked her as he pulled into the parking garage.

Barbara nodded. He could see the excitement in her eyes.

"And you said this play is funny?" He asked.

She gave a sigh as she repeated what she had told him earlier.

"You will find it extremely funny. The dialogue is brilliant, but you have to pay attention or you might get confused." She warned him.

Dick frowned.

"Why are these things so involving? Aren't you just supposed to sit back and have a good time?"

"You are thinking of a movie. This is a play." She said dryly to his question.

"Shall I leave the top hat?" He asked her in a mock serious tone.

"I don't know if they would know what to do with it if you gave it to the coat check person." Barbara told him as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Dick smiled as he threw the top hat back onto the driver's seat.

The walk wasn't long and it wasn't as picturesque as the walk to the opera house.

Dick was pleased to note that Barbara was wearing the gloves that he bought her. She seemed to notice him eyeing her hands and gave him a soft smile.

Dick felt immediately warmed against the cold evening air.

* * *

"So you're sure you're okay sitting with the common people?"

Barbara turned to stare at Dick.

They had just sat down in their seats among everyone else on the main floor of the theater.

"You know you shouldn't say that too loudly. I know you are kidding, but others may not." She told him.

Dick gave her his usual grin.

"You are too serious, you know that?"

"No, the problem is that you don't know when to be serious." She said crossing her arms.

Sometimes, she actually couldn't believe that she liked him.

She started in her seat—did she actually let herself think that?

"Babs, are you okay?"

Barbara turned back to face Dick who was now staring at her. She cleared her throat.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Just . . ." She gave a wave of her hand and hoped that he would let it drop.

"Okaaaay." He said, intentionally dragging out the word with suspicion. His blue eyes twinkled just enough to let her know that he wasn't buying it.

She hated that he knew when something was up with her.

"You know, you've never asked if you could call me Babs." She told him sternly. Dick didn't look the least bit fazed.

"Oh, come on." He said leaning against the back of this chair. "Admit it, you like it."

Barbara opened her mouth and then shut it. She stared straight ahead at the closed curtains.

She felt Dick shift in his seat next to her.

"Barbara."

Dick's breath tickled her ear.

"Can I call you Babs?"

Trying not to grin, or blush for that matter, she managed to say, "As long as you don't do it in public."

Dick gave out a laugh that she quickly had to quiet. He let out a yawn.

"So when does this thing start? I'm getting tired." Dick complained.

"I thought you were going to try and be a gentleman tonight." Barbara reminded him.

Dick instantly looked sheepish.

"Sorry, it's harder than it looks you know?" He offered in way of an excuse.

Barbara decided to let it slide that once and looked back up to the curtain. The play really should start soon. She couldn't wait.

"You act like a little kid waiting for Christmas."

"You need to stop talking." She said swiftly. 'And don't cross your hands behind your head. You'll block the view of the person behind you."

"You enjoy yelling at me don't you?" He asked with amusement.

"Somebody apparently needs to."

Dick gave a snort.

"Yea right."

Dick tapped his fingers against the arm rest. There was no shortage of lectures he could assure her of that.

"I said something wrong." Barbara spoke softly while glancing at him.

Dick shook his head slowly.

"Don't worry about it." He assured her as he straightened up in his seat.

He had to stop being gloomy. It was becoming a habit. A habit that needed to be broken.

Looking over at Barbara, she now was frowning.

"Okay, let's be happy now." He suggested with a bright smile. Barbara gave a nod and smiled as well.

She looked up back at the curtain right as the lights of the rooms softly went out.

Dick settled into his chair and prepared for a long evening.

* * *

So, he had to hand it to her, this play wasn't actually too bad. He might have even been willing to call it funny. Even Alfred, might find this enjoyable. He would shift

now and again to watch Barbara laugh. Sometimes, he would even catch her quoting the lines right along with the actors.

She had no idea how amusing she was.

A quarter of the way into the play, Dick felt his phone vibrate. Carefully pulling out his phone, he tried to hold it where no one would see it. It was a text from Bruce,

and to be honest Dick was really tempted to ignore it, but there was that whole 'alter ego superhero' thing.

"_When are you coming home?" _

Dick tried to bite back a smart-alack response.

"_When it's over." _ He typed back quickly resisting the urge to add a 'duh'. What on earth did Bruce care when he was back, if there wasn't anything major going on.

Unless, he was just wanted him back for patrol. Honestly, could Bruce not dictate every moment of his life?

Dick tried to focus back in to the play, but it wasn't working.

* * *

Bruce picked up his phone and huffed at Dick's response.

He had no idea what Dick was thinking going out with that girl.

"Can I ask you something?"

Bruce looked up momentarily at Alfred who was in the midst of dusting off the computer Bruce was sitting by.

"Sure." Bruce mumbled.

"Do you have something against that boy being happy?"

Bruce thought carefully before answering.

"I liked it better when he couldn't drive."

"You mean when he was easier to control." Alfred charged.

"Not . . . entirely." Bruce said simply as he turned his attention back to the computer.

"You must have something against Miss Gordon then." Alfred said, not letting this conversation go.

"I have nothing against her." Bruce answered dismissively.

"Then I'm having a hard time trying to figure out why you are against this."

Bruce slammed his fingers against the keyboard. A quick glance over at Alfred showed that the butler had not budged.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Bruce asked, but it was said more like an order.

* * *

Dick started to get fidgety near the half way mark. Despite this, Barbara didn't seem to notice as she was too wrapped up in what was happening on stage. He felt

his phone buzz again. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled it out again.

"_You need to come home NOW." _

Well, that sounded more serious. Dick turned to face Barbara who at that moment, turned to face him as well.

"I have to . . ." He started to whisper.

"Shhh. This is a good part." Barbara said with a smile. She intertwined her arm around his and looked back at the stage.

Dick instantly forgot what he was going to say as he stared down at her arm wrapped around his.

His phone buzzed again.

"_Gordon is missing." _

Dick looked back at Barbara. What was Bruce talking about? Barbara was right he . . .

Dick froze.

The commissioner was missing? His phone buzzed again.

"_Get her safely to headquarters and get back here!" _

Dick leaned over to Barbara.

"Hey, when is intermission?" He whispered.

"In like one minute, silly." She said not bothering to turn and look at him.

He took in a deep breath and waited for the curtains to close. How was he going to do this? Should he tell her? He couldn't. There would be no way to explain how he

knew something like that. He was just going to have to make up some reason to leave.

He didn't even hear the crowd clapping as the curtain closed and the lights came up.

"See? Isn't this great?" Barbara asked him. She paused, noticing his mood.

"Is everything okay?" She asked simply.

Dick tried to sound lighthearted.

"Oh, ah, Bruce needs me to do something. He's just getting kind of impatient." Dick said, deciding that that was the best route to go.

"Right now?" Barbara questioned. She was obviously disappointed and confused. "What time is it anyway? Can't he wait for . . ." Her voice trailed off as she pulled

her phone out to check the time.

"What is it?" Dick asked concern starting to grow inside him.

"Police headquarters has tried to call me three times. Usually my dad just uses his cell." Barbara said as she bit her lip.

"Maybe he lost it." Dick said trying to sound reasonable and concerned even though he knew the truth. "Well, it is intermission, give them a call." He suggested.

Barbara gave a nod and stood up. Dick waited till she walked out of the room and got up himself.

He ducked into a corner and dialed Bruce.

"Where are you?"

"What happened?" Dick asked not bothering to answer his question.

"Nobody can find Gordon at the moment. They are trying to keep it quiet, but apparently he left a few hours ago and he hasn't come back and no one can reach him

on his cell. Have you left yet?"

"Working on it." Dick said as he peeked out of his hiding place. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You better." Bruce said as he hung up.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Dick went to find Barbara deciding to act concerned since she had been gone for a few minutes. He found her.

Off to one side of the lobby, she stood with her phone to her ear nodding her head as she spoke. Her face looked serious.

Dick walked over to her, but stopped to put on a happy face since technically he wasn't supposed to know that anything was up.

She hung up right as he got close.

"So, Babs, I am actually interested in this one. Everything was crazy with that guy showing up and saying that he Ernest and . . ." He paused abruptly so as to give

the appearance that he had just now noticed how serious she looked.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked softly putting a hand on her shoulder.

She was biting her lip, but looked relatively composed. She took a deep breath.

"Something is wrong . . . with my dad. No one can find him. They haven't been able to get a hold of him." She stated slowly without really looking at him.

"Okay . . ." Dick said after a moment. "Should we, you, go somewhere?" He asked her.

She nodded. "I think so."

While she looked worried, she was doing a remarkable job of not panicking.

"I'm sure he just turned his phone off, or lost it or something." Dick offered trying to help.

Barbara nodded some more.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and Dick took his hands out of his pockets in time to hold her against himself.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." He said as he rubbed her back. Though, silently, he knew such a promise was pointless.

She still didn't cry, or tremble, or even sob—she just stood there frozen against him.

Dick pulled her gently back.

"Well, let's get out of here okay? I'll go grab our coats." He said hurriedly.

* * *

She wrapped her arms around herself as she suddenly felt cold.

What on earth had happened? She shouldn't panic. That wouldn't help anyone.

The people in the lobby started to filter back into the theater. Barbara watched them go back in with a bit of envy, but her mind was in no state to enjoy the rest of

the play anyway.

She saw Dick rushing back with his coat already on and hers lay over his arm.

Taking it from him, she put it on quicker than he could help her.

"Come on." He said tugging her hand. "Do you want to go to the station?" He asked.

"Yea, they want me to come down there, not that I'll be much help." She said solemnly. "They are trying to keep this quiet for now so as not to cause panic."

She watched Dick nod in agreement.

"Sounds smart." He said. "Let's go."

Exiting the building, their walk was a hurried one to the parking lot. Barbara silently wished she had not worn heels today, but she was not running down the streets

of Gotham in bare feet.

Dick clicked open his car doors and they both go in quickly. Dick thrust the key into the ignition and the car came alive.

"Oh no." He suddenly said closing his eyes.

"Out of gas?" Barbara asked.

"No." He said with a sigh as he opened his eyes. "I've realized that I have just sat on my top hat."

Barbara put a hand to her mouth as he pulled out the now dented hat from underneath him.

"Well, like I've said. I've never seen him wear it. Anyway, let's get out of here." He said as he pulled the car out of the garage.

"Wait, hold on. Can you take me to my house first? I don't want to spend all night in this." Barbara said motioning to her dress.

Dick seemed to take a moment to think about it.

"Sure." He said quickly as he took a left.

She looked out the window as the dark shapes and shadows swept past. The trip to her house seemed to take forever and they were both silent.

Dick pulled into her driveway.

"I'll be right back." She told him as she got out almost tripping as she went.

Once inside, she kicked off her shoes not caring about whether or not they went back into the closet. Racing to her room, she took off her dress and threw on a pair

a jeans, a random colored t-shirt, and a sweater. Not stopping to look in the mirror, she ran a brush through her hair and threw on a pair of sneakers from her

closet.

She flew out the front door. Dick was in the car still, now on his phone.

She climbed back into the car as he finished up.

"Yea, well, I've got to go Bruce." He said ending the conversation.

"Does he still need you?" Barbara asked.

She saw Dick hesitate.

"Let's get you to headquarters." He said pulling out of the driveway.

He turned and looked over at her with an encouraging smile.

"Ah, I hate to tell you this, but your sweater is inside out."

"What?" Barbara questioned. She looked down at her sweater and gave a sigh.

"Dad never turns things right side out when he takes them out of the dryer." She said with a hopeless laugh.

She was silent for the next couple of minutes, but then decided to ask Dick the question she feared to ask.

"Dick, tell me about how Commissioner Williams died. I never bothered to look up how he did."

Dick started in his seat. She could have sworn a look of fear crossed his face.

"Babs, you don't need to know that." He told her firmly while staring ahead at the road. He seemed to grip the steering wheel tighter.

"Please." She asked softly.

Dick gave her a quick glance and she tried look brave.

"I don't remember too much okay? I was a kid, and Alfred would always try to not let me read or hear too much about people dying." He said sounding tired. He

brought the car to a stop at a red light.

"What I do know is that he was in the middle of taking down a gang, and one night he . . . he disappeared and he wound up dead in a warehouse. Shot." Dick added

painfully.

Barbara grimaced.

"And he was alone?" She asked quietly.

Dick rubbed his hands across the steering wheel and slowly accelerated as the light turned green.

"Yea." He said softly. "All alone."

* * *

They made it to the station in record time—really record time. But even Barbara, daughter of a cop, was willing to overlook it.

Dick pulled right out in front.

Something was bugging him, she could tell.

"Mr. Wayne needs you doesn't he?" Barbara asked pointedly. Dick turned to her with a scrunched up face.

"Babs . . ."

"It's okay." She told him. "You can go. Our evening is over and you don't have to stay with me. I'll probably just sit around and answer questions. Besides, since

they don't want people knowing that my dad is missing, you can't explain that to him. So just go help do . . . whatever it is he needs you for."

Dick didn't look convinced, but didn't say anything.

Barbara gave him a smile and got out.

She stared up at the steps leading up to the police doors.

"Barbara!" She heard Dick get out of the car. He rushed over to her.

"I'm sorry I wrecked your evening." She told him before he could say anything.

Disbelief crossed Dick's face.

"Are you kidding me?" He said. "Even with an abrupt ending, there would be no one I would rather be with."

She smiled at his words.

"I guess I owe _you _one now." She said to him.

"Well, despite my feelings about plays, I do want to see the end of this one." He said.

"See I told you so." She said, but not at all in a know-it-all manner.

Dick shoved his hands into his pockets and gave her a grin.

There they stood out in front of police headquarters, both trying to figure out what to do.

Barbara clasped her hands in front of her and Dick stopped to rub the back of his neck.

Right then and there, Barbara decided something. Without giving him any sort of warning, she took a large step forward and leaned up to kiss him.

She could tell that she had shocked him. Pulling back far enough to see his eyes, Barbara gave him a smile which he quickly returned as he wrapped his arms

around her waist.

She loved the fact that his arms seemed to fit around her perfectly. She let him pull her tighter against himself as he gave her a kiss back.

"I was planning . . . I mean I was hoping that . . ." Dick said stuttering as his cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Me too." She said, finishing his sentence for him. He let out a bark of a laugh.

Threading a hand through his hair, Barbara gave him another kiss.

It was hard to believe that they had come this far.

Barbara was amazed to even look back at it. All their butting heads, all their clashes, and here they were.

She settled in closer against him allowing herself to push any scary thoughts she had out of her head. The familiar sent of his cologne reminded her of the first day

that she was in his arms.

Even then she knew—but she didn't allow herself to admit it.

"Um, Babs?" Dick mumbled between kisses. "Not that I um . . . mind . . . kissing you . . . but maybe can we not do it smack-dab in front of the police station?"

Barbara let out a grin.

"You afraid of being seen kissing a girl, Grayson?" She teased him.

Dick licked his lips and despite being lighthearted, his eyes were serious.

"Ask me if I want to been seen kissing the Commissioner's daughter by every member of the force." He charged.

Barbara shook her head and then the full weight of the situation hit her again.

"You should get going." She told him releasing his hand.

"Okay." Dick replied as if he was resigned to his fate.

"Could you . . ?" She paused in the middle of her sentence.

"Could I what?" He asked seriously. "Go on."

"You don't have too." She started by telling him. "But would you mind, if they haven't fou . . ." She stopped talking not being able to bear the thought.

"Do you want me to come back when I'm done?" He asked her tenderly. His blue eyes were large and glossy.

She nodded, happy that he understood.

"Of course." He said tapping her nose. "They will find him okay? But stay here for now and don't leave."

Barbara saw the seriousness in his eyes, almost fear.

"You think that something might happen to me?" She asked, realizing the situation for the first time.

Dick shrugged.

"I don't know about this kind of stuff really, but I think that it might be for the best. Don't you?"

Barbara nodded in agreement, but her eyes traveled up to the sky. The one thought that had been swirling in her head came to the forefront of her mind.

Did Batman and Robin know? Would they be able to do anything or would history repeat itself?

* * *

Dick ran into the Manor and luckily for him Alfred was waiting for him by the door.

"Master Bruce has already headed out of course." Alfred explained as they both rushed in the direction of the batcave. "I am terribly worried that it is going to

happen again. What will happen to Miss Gordon?" Alfred questioned.

"Nothing is going to happen Alfred. Nothing. We are going to find him—alive." Dick said firmly, surprised that he had to play the positive side to Alfred.

"Just that one horrible night." Alfred said softly.

Dick remembered it well. Better than he had told Barbara.

He was out on patrol as well when Williams went missing. It had taken most of the night, but Batman had found him dead upon arrival.

Robin was told to stay outside.

And he did as he was told. Bruce and he never talked about that day again. It was a black mark on their record.

The last words that Commissioner Williams had said to Robin were on top of police headquarters. Dick could still hear them in his head.

"_See you around kid." _

Dick snapped himself back to reality.

He put a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"We are going to do this Alfred." He said trying to sound confident.

* * *

As quick as possible, he was up on the rooftops of Gotham.

He found Batman quickly enough.

"Where have you looked?"

"Most of the west side." Came Batman's short reply. "How is she?"

Robin paused. Was he inquiring about Barbara?

"Uh, pretty good. She's pretty strong. Hasn't cried or anything." He told him.

"She didn't seem like the hysterical type." Batman commented dryly.

Robin gave a short nod, not quite sure what brought this conversation on.

"Let's move out. Baxby is in charge as of the moment. He's back at headquarters for now." Batman informed him. "If he leaves I want to know."

"Where does he have the forces spread out?"

"They are trying to be inconspicuous about it at the moment, but real concern is setting in. It won't be too long before the press catches wind of it. Take the north

side." He ordered.

Robin hesitated.

"What if . . ."

"It is not going to happen again."

Batman said it like an oath, but they both knew that there was no guarantee.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **_Three _precious chapters left after this people. How did we come this far? It seems like I just started!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything in the world was happening to you at once? That is how my life is going. This chapter may

not be up to my normal grammatical . . . standards.

**Let's See Here:**

**LordOfTheBooks**: Oh, okay then. Then no. Definitely no sequel in the works. Epilogue? Eh . . . to be honest not really, but once someone said something (and

maybe it was you, maybe not) about having more Dick/Bruce moments. And I kind of have something at the end, but I was thinking of maybe adding something

more having to due with . . . something else that is going on in the last chapter. (notice the lack of information) So I might. But it's a **BIG **might. I'm writing two

other things at the moment, but if I tried to keep it shortish . . . we'll see. I have some time.

**Saphire122****: **Bum, bum, bum, bum, BA! (worst tension building music.)

**3 Nightwing 3: **It's all very dramatic. Don't be too sad. I'll be sad too. :( I'm so funny. I'm always nervous about starting a new story and then by the end I'm sad.

**WawaNisaDCFan: **I didn't realize that this was such a cliff hanger.

**Godgirl4ever****: **Thanks! That's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome!

**jdcocoagirl****: ***girlish squeal* Leave it to me to cram everything in at the end.

**SkyMyst****: **In my world—everything ends happily. Thanks for reviewing this and Per Sempre in all its ridiculousness.(I wish the 'legend' that I made up was real too!

I tried looking online for any sort of real one about the circus but I didn't come up with anything.) I actually have a lot of one-shots stored up

along with some two-shots, four-shots and possibly a five-shot that I just need to review and tweak. I have nothing this large in the works at the moment. It took

me several months to write this. My mind is like a strange Dick/Babs factory. I'm never quite sure what it's going to churn out. Thanks!

**soccernin19****: **You're happy= I'm happy.

**Guest: **All in good time my friend, all in good time.

**Disclaimer: **After reading this far into this story it has probably become terribly obvious that I do not own the Batman characters. Even more proof is contained in

this chapter as I attempt to continue and finish my horrible mystery subplot that you (hopefully) are not going to pay attention to.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: Turning the Tables, Relief

Gordon stopped in a shadow and peeked around the corner. No sign of anyone yet. He flexed his hands and placed them back around the trigger of his gun. The

wind was blowing straight across the water sending chills right through him.

He looked at his watch. He had been out here for hours now and so far nothing had happened. He would give up, but he didn't want to give up this chance. There

was too much at stake.

He would continue to wait.

* * *

"Robin, report in."

Robin kept running across the roof as he spoke.

"Nothing yet, Batman. Everything seems quiet. Well, quiet enough for Gotham. Stopped a few car jackings, and a mugging. But no Gordon."

He waited for Batman to say something, but there was only silence.

"Batman?" He called across the com.

"Why did he leave the building? What did he go out for?"

Robin was silent.

"Most of the major gangs seem quiet tonight. There is no chatter along the normal lines."

The frustration in Batman's voice was obvious. Robin stopped running.

"Do you think that there was a breakthrough on something that Gordon was working on?" Robin asked.

"He was thinking about the docks."

"He seemed interested in that before. I found him down there after the bank break in. Remember?" Robin spoke up.

"He was . . ." Batman's voice broke off. "Robin, meet me down by the docks. NOW.

Robin turned so sharply he almost got whiplash.

* * *

Barbara sat on the hard wooden bench in the police lobby swinging her feet. Waiting was the hardest thing in the world.

So far, there had been no word on her father at all. She was trying not to panic. She stood up and walked around the floor again. No one really paid any attention to

her after she first arrived. She was asked some questions and asked some more questions.

Once it was decided that she didn't know anything and could not supply any more information, she was left to sit and wait.

Somebody asked her if she wanted coffee once but that was a few hours ago.

Now she was just watching people rush around. She was hating the feeling of being useless.

But what could she do?

Giving a hopeless sigh, she made the right turn and walked down to her father's office.

She had seen Baxby go in a few times to grab something. She had always been careful to watch him when he went in keeping in mind Batman's warning.

If he was up to anything, she was going to catch him at it.

She slowly opened the door and walked in.

The room was quiet and not too messy to be honest.

She walked around and stared out the window.

The dark road was dotted with street lights and cars buzzed past. Everything looked normal out on the streets. Barbara crossed her arms. Her eyes traveled to the

sky. The moon was hidden by clouds and a haze hung about the city.

Shutting the blinds, Barbara plopped into her father's chair in hopes of finding something to help lead her to him. There were a few case files lying about but nothing

terribly important. Looking around, she opened a few drawers.

Nothing of interest there either.

A key lay jumbled about in the top drawer. Barbara recognized it. It was the key to the rooftop door. Her father had showed it once to her. Seizing the moment, she

grabbed it and left the office.

Casually strolling past everyone, Barbara hit the elevator button.

Climbing on board, she rode it to the top.

The air was cold. Colder than it had been when she and Dick were out. She wrapped her arms around her waist and the wind cut through her sweatshirt.

She didn't expect to find anyone up there, her father or otherwise. She wondered if her dad had found something out, or that Batman did or something. But

whatever it was, it shouldn't be taking this long.

"You better be out there with him!" She called out to the sky.

She hated waiting.

* * *

Gordon leaned around the edge of a shipping crate. People had started showing up twelve minutes ago. Most of them were walking around. Scouting the area it

looked like. A few men stood talking. Low voices, nothing that he could hear.

He pulled his head back around and leaned it against the crate. He was starting to get sleepy, but there was no time for that now. He crouched down low as he heard

footsteps near him.

The footsteps moved away.

Gordon had been tempted to call in the force as soon as men started showing up, but he wanted to catch everyone involved in this scheme—so he waited . . . and

waited.

He listened to the sound of another car driving through the main gates. Something apparently had happened to the night watchmen, but there wasn't time to look for

them now. Headlights hit the area where he was hidden and Gordon held his breath.

Not that stopping breathing would do any good, he thought to himself.

He glanced at his watch wondering when the boat would be coming in. Timing on everything had to be perfect.

Slowly standing back up, he reached for his cell phone. The total of missed calls was now in the thirties.

"Come on, come on." He muttered as he chanced another look around the crate.

It looked as if one of the main people had shown up. The men gathered around him instantly and orders appeared to be given.

Some men spread out again to keep guard. The head honcho walked further to the left and out of Gordon's vision.

He made a decision to try and get closer. The sky was cloudy tonight, a fact that he felt was on his side. He moved carefully around every corner.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him cold.

"What exactly are you doing?" A harsh voice asked.

Gordon's shoulders sagged with relief.

Turning around, he looked into the face of Batman, a sight for which some people would panic.

"Waiting for you to show up." He said evenly with a trace of a smile.

"What are you doing?" Batman asked him. He was never one to waste time on pleasantries. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you have caused?"

Gordon blinked.

"Don't tell me Gotham is on the verge of collapse. I do have _some _faith in my men you know." He told him.

Batman was silent. Gordon hurried to speak before Batman was forced to repeat the question. Even Gordon feared making him repeat it for a third time.

Looking around one more time, Gordon spoke.

"Last time we talked, we discussed idea that the buyers needed an event to happen that would draw away attention enough to stage an operation here at the docks.

I don't like waiting for things to happen, so I decided to stage something myself. I didn't want to wait for them to stage some sort of calamity that would cost lives or

damage property, so I staged an event myself. I disappeared."

"You what?"

Gordon turned around to face the newly arrived Robin, who was standing there looking completely confused.

"Ah, Robin, good timing." Gordon said in a way of greeting. "Anyway, I have now given them what they needed, a distraction of the police force. A perfect time, to

sail in their ship and for us to catch them."

Batman stood silent.

"And you didn't feel the need to inform me of this?" He said harshly.

Gordon managed a smile despite Batman's mood.

"He is a control freak, isn't he?" He asked turning to Robin. Batman pivoted slightly to give a glance to the younger man.

"He did not tell me that." Gordon said quickly trying to put in a defense for the kid.

"What are your plans now?"

"Well, wait till everyone shows up, and take them down." Gordon said simply.

Batman and Robin exchanged a glance.

"And I would have told you." Gordon said explaining. "But neither of you showed up this afternoon."

Batman was silent to this charge.

"You are putting a lot of hope that they can be ready for the shipment in a few hours." Batman said.

"I have faith in Gotham's underworld to take advantage of my absence in a hurry." Gordon said mirthlessly.

Gordon looked over at Robin who was now staring at Batman.

"Spread out, wait for my signal."

Gordon nodded and looked back out at the water.

"So where do you . . ?" Turning back, both Batman and Robin were now gone.

"That is really quite amazing." Gordon mumbled.

* * *

"Mr. Mayor, right this way sir."

Barbara sat up straighter as she watched an officer beckon the freshly arrived mayor into to a conference room. The door was left slightly opened.

"Could I please get a report here? I have news agencies breathing down my neck. I've told them to hold their stories for a little bit, but they can't hold back a story

like this forever. Where is Baxby?" He thundered to a nearby officer.

"He's gone out sir—to help with the search. He's been gone for a half hour. I can get him on the phone for . . ."

"Have we made no progress?" The mayor said in anger. 'Why is it we can't even keep track of our own people?"

No one responded.

Barbara stood silently by the door. There were a lot of people out looking for her father. She hated to sound cold, but she hoped that enough people were still paying

attention to the streets. Why is it that no one in this office seemed to know what to do? Why were all these people panicking?

Straightening her back, she pushed the door open and walked in.

Everyone in the room stared at her.

It took her a moment to find her voice.

"I have something to say." She said calmly.

"Who are you? Who is this?" The mayor asked.

"That's the Commissioner's daughter sir. Barbara." Officer Watson said quietly.

The mayor seemed to take her in as if he was trying to recall meeting her.

"Well, go ahead." He huffed. "No one else can seem to think of anything to say.

Barbara gave a nod.

"I know my father is missing and it is a matter of urgency to find him, but everyone cannot go to pieces over this and forget that there is still a town here to run. My

dad isn't the President, he's just the Commissioner and you guys have to be able to function in his absence. So stop panicking. Let the men do what they do best

and hope for the best outcome. I hardly think that this town is going to collapse just because my dad is missing. The people of this city are too tough for that. So

start acting like professionals!"

Barbara took in a breath as she waited for a reaction. The mayor's eyes looked huge.

"That is actually the first thing that anyone has said this night that has made sense." He said after a moment.

"The Commissioner is our number one priority, but we have to keep up our presence on the streets. We can't make criminals think that we rise and fall on the

shoulders of a single man." The mayor said now going, in Barbara's mind, into 'speech' mode. "Even one of our most important ones."

Barbara felt a thrill of pride run through her.

"So, start back up normal street patrols and get me Baxby on the phone. We are finding Gordon!" The mayor announced.

* * *

Gordon shook his arms slightly as he tried to keep up the feeling in his arms. A flashing light had appeared off the coastal waters a few minutes ago causing much

movement in the assembled men.

He was starting to get restless.

"Batman thinks that the ship should be in range in the next couple of minutes." Robin said suddenly dropping in from above.

"Will do." Gordon said trying to get a better look across the water. "I hope they hurry up. I'm getting cold." Gordon glanced at his phone again. "And it's getting late.

Later then I hoped."

"You on a time frame?" Robin asked curiously.

Gordon shook his head with a slight grin.

"Well you see, my daughter was going out tonight and I was hoping to have this whole thing wrapped up by the time she was informed of my absence, but that's the

criminal world for you."

"You're worried about her panicking?" Robin said.

"Panicking? Not my daughter. She'll be worried, but not panicked. My daughter doesn't panic." Gordon said proudly.

"That's good." Robin said after a moment. "She'll need that in this town."

"Sorry about the 'control freak' crack." Gordon said changing topics. He had felt badly bringing it up and didn't want to get the kid in trouble.

Robin shrugged with a grin.

"I think he already knows that I think that." He told him.

A light across the water blinked again. Another car came through the gates.

"Did you find the night watchmen?" Gordon whispered.

Robin nodded.

"Knocked out, but alive. They're in the guard house."

That was a weight off Gordon's mind.

A creaking sound follow by commotion silenced the Commissioner and Robin. Both their eyes turned back to the waterfront. A ship had pulled up alongside the

docks. Men worked quickly to tie it up.

Gordon slowed his breathing and re-clenched his gun.

"How does this usually work?" He whispered over to Robin.

Robin looked back at him in confusion.

"I mean," Gordon said trying to be more specific. "It's usually just you and him, so where do I fit in here?"

Robin looked back at the waterfront and turned back to him.

"It's been a while since we've had someone out here with us. Only on occasion, did Commissioner William come out with us, and never in my mind was he here for

a take down. He usually just came in with the force after the work was done and the proof is in hand."

"Well, the proof is going to be on hand as soon as they open up and start unloading but . . ." Gordon cut off as another vehicle pulled into the docks.

Gordon took in a swift breath as the car drove past their position. Even in the dark, he recognized the car—and its driver.

"Is that . . ." Robin started to say.

"Baxby." Gordon said evenly.

Ever since Batman's warning, Gordon could say honestly that he had been on his toes around the man. But the sick feeling entered his gut anyway as he saw

Baxby exit that car.

He guessed Batman was right that night upon the rooftop. And as much as he hated to admit it, something had been off about Baxby, but he didn't want to distrust

the man from the start.

"I just . . ." He trailed off as he noticed that Robin had already left.

Having no idea really what to do, Gordon sat back and realized that he was about to witness what few men had seen—Batman and Robin in action.

It was like watching a ballet—only with more violence.

To be honest, he couldn't see that much, but every once in awhile he would catch a view of something that would take his breath away. How on earth did they move

that fast? They appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.

Gordon found himself once again being glad that they were on his side.

Deciding now was as good a time as any, Gordon launched himself into the action. Not that he felt like he did a lot of good. There was barely anyone left to take out.

Gordon walked slowly over to Baxby who, at the present, was out cold.

Gordon gave a sigh.

"I know that you warned me about him, but it still hurts you know?"

He didn't say it to anyone in particular and neither Batman nor Robin decided to comment.

"So what do you want me to do?" Gordon asked feeling lost in the midst of what had happened.

"Call it in. Gather evidence." Batman spoke as he walked past.

The Commissioner looked around at the scene around him.

"Okay." He said simply. This was going to take some getting used to.

Gordon pulled out his phone his hands numbly pressing in the numbers.

"Yes, ah, hello. I would like to report a . . . incident down at the docks." Gordon said as he rubbed his forehead. "Yes, yes, ah . . . goodbye." Gordon hung up and

looked over at Robin whose mouth was currently hanging open.

"What?" Gordon asked while looking confused.

"Did you even tell them who you were?"

Gordon paused.

"No, you didn't tell me too!" He argued now feeling silly for not having identified himself.

Robin shook his head in a gesture of amusement and disbelief.

Gordon cleared his throat and looked at the ground. He felt like it was his first day on a job and he was already messing things up.

"Well, I . . ." Gordon looked back up trying to make something of a defense for himself, but Robin was already gone. Looking around, he didn't see him anywhere.

"Hey, where did Robin go?"

Batman, who was in the midst of doing . . . something, turned and looked around.

Despite the mask, the look was obvious. He had no idea either.

* * *

Barbara sleepily swatted away whatever it was that was tickling her nose.

Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into Dick's blue ones.

"Dick." She said softly sitting up more. He gave her a smile.

"Hey, Babs. How are you doing? It took me forever to find you holed away down at this dead end." He told her as he took a seat next to her on the hard wood

bench.

Barbara brushed some hair out of her face.

"Yea, I was getting tired of hearing the phone ring and people discussion different scenarios. I just got tired of hearing all the noise."

Dick reached over and squeezed her hand.

"It's going to be okay." He said firmly.

Barbara smiled. It was nice that he was trying to be positive, but . . .

"Your hands are freezing! Did you go outside?" He asked now sounding concerned.

"I just needed some air, so I went up to the roof."

An odd look of surprise seemed to cross his face.

"The roof?" He repeated. "Good view?" He asked in a brighter voice.

She shrugged.

"Kind of hard to see much of anything between the clouds and the smog." She explained. "Have you been here long? Did you have any trouble getting in?"

"Nope, just bribed a co . . ." Dick caught himself before Barbara had a chance to yell at him. "Ha! See I stopped myself there." He pointed out to her as she glared

at him. He looked a bit sheepish.

"Actually, I really shouldn't joke about that since it is a common occurrence."

Barbara crossed her arms and was glad to see that he at least seemed remorseful about it.

"So did you get done whatever it was that Mr. Wayne needed your help with? What did he have you do, run all over town? Your hair is a mess." She told him.

Dick ran a hand through his hair and gave her a smile.

"There was some running involved." He said with an eye roll. "It wasn't anything that couldn't have waited, say, till tomorrow." He said with a shake of his head.

"Yea?" Barbara said absently.

She sometimes wondered what it was between them. True, she hadn't spent much time around Bruce Wayne, but he seemed to be a nice enough person despite his

. . . eccentricities.

"You two need to talk more." She said staring at the wall opposite them.

Dick's head turned sharply towards her.

"Are you in cahoots with Alfred?" He said eyeing her.

Barbara had to laugh.

"No. Sorry, I don't mean to pry. When I don't want to face my own problems, I usually try to solve other people's to keep my mind off my own." She explained.

"Well if I'm your next target, we could be here for a while." He said without humor.

Barbara stared at her feet and then gave a glance down the hall. As much as she wanted to wander back down into the hub of police headquarters, she was a little

afraid to hear anything bad. So she sat and waited being fairly certain that no one remembered that she was still here.

"What time is it anyway?" She said absentmindedly. Dick looked over at the clock.

"Getting close to three a.m." He reported.

"No wonder I'm getting tired. Thank heavens tomorrow is Saturday." Barbara remarked as she gently slumped against Dick's shoulder.

She smiled as she felt him carefully wrap his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"It will be okay." He repeated again. "Do you want a funny story?" He offered.

She nodded.

"Okay," He said and from his tone, Barbara could tell it was going to be a good one.

"So one morning, probably a few years ago now, Alfred woke up and wasn't feeling well so I volunteered to make him some toast. So I head down to the kitchen

and start looking for the toaster. So I'm looking and looking and looking . . . can't find it anywhere."

He stopped long enough to give her a smile.

"So, after a while, I give up and go find Bruce. I ask him and he has no idea either. So I head back to the kitchen, and start digging in the cupboards taking out pots

and pans. Bruce hears the noise and comes in and we both start looking."

Barbara had to smile at the mental picture.

"So after a while, we both can't find it. The kitchen is a mess and there is still no toaster." Barbara waited as Dick gave a dramatic pause.

"So Alfred walks in. He walked straight passed both of us without a word. He walks over to the pantry, opens the door and pulls out the toaster. Alfred sets it down

on the counter and turns to both of us and says, 'You do both realize that you both would be dead without me correct?'"

Barbara started laughing as much for the story as for the bad British accent that Dick attempted to do.

She paused long enough to wipe a tear out of her eye.

"You know," She told him seriously. "I tried really hard not to like you."

Dick considered this with a head slightly cocked.

"I noticed. Well, I gave you reason to try." He amended. "You were really good at it. I . . . I almost gave up."

Barbara's eyes widened.

"I'm glad you didn't." She said softly. "I'm sorry I was so . . . difficult. I was so willing to overlook my own behavior and act like you were the only one at fault! I

can't believe that . . ."

Dick's finger against her lips stopped her cold.

"What did I say about apologizing? It's unnecessary. It's in the past and there is no need to dwell on it." He said firmly.

Barbara nodded and decided that she was going to try and put the incident behind her.

"Better?" Dick asked her.

"I think so." Barbara said while rubbing her head. "Thanks." She paused for a second to look at him.

"You know, your problem is that you talk to think."

"I talk to think?" Dick repeated.

"Yea, to think about something, you have to talk about it."

"So you are telling me to keep my mouth shut more?" He asked her with a teasing smile.

"And I need to stop acting like I'm always right." Her shoulders slumped. "I hate being wrong though." She muttered.

"Hey, you aren't wrong that often." Dick said trying to comfort her.

Suddenly noise erupted from down the hall. Both of them turned and stared.

Barbara gulped.

"Let's go see what happened." Dick said tugging at her arm. Barbara felt her legs lock up.

"No, I can't. What if it's bad news?"

"Are you panicking?"

"What?" Barbara snapped. "I do not panic! The Gordons do not panic." She told him firmly with fire coming into her eyes.

"Good. Now come on."

The certainty with which Dick spoke gave Barbara a feeling of hope. But she wasn't going to throw aside her fears so easily.

"What if something really has happened to him?" She said hollowly. Dick stopped walking and turned around.

"Then I will sneak you in Wayne Manor and let you live in my closet. But I won't have to because everything will be fine."

Barbara found herself nodding and she began to follow him again. He pulled open the door to the main level. From all appearances, something had happened.

There were officers running around, and the mayor was in the conference room making hand gestures.

Dick looked across the room in confusion and then looked back to Barbara.

"So, who do you want to ask?" He asked as he took a step back to avoid being in the way of an officer walking quickly passed.

Barbara reached out and snagged the man by his arm. The officer snapped back and looked at her with confusion.

"What is going on?" Barbara demanded to know.

The question hung in the air.

There, she had said it. There was no going back now.

"Well, reports are kind of sketchy, but apparently something happened down at the docks and someone reported that they saw Commissioner Gordon there." Giving

a quick glance between Dick and Barbara, the officer scurried off.

Barbara felt a weight fall off her chest.

Turning to Dick, she felt his hands on her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" He said gently stopped the tears she didn't know that she had. "You haven't cried up to this point."

"I guess I'm just relieved." She said shortly as she wiped her face using the back of her hand.

Her father was safe, but what had he been doing?

"I have to go see him." She said firmly. Dick looked surprised.

"Ah, I don't think that you can just waltz down there Babs." He said.

She narrowed her eyes.

"This isn't _that _much in public." He said smiling.

Barbara shook her head.

"It's not that. I could go down there if I wanted to." She said fiercely.

Dick patted her shoulder.

"You best stay here. Whatever it is, he probably has his hands full. You'll be able to spend more time with him once he arrives here at the station."

Barbara opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it. Maybe she would let Dick be right for a change.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **Two people! _Two! __**TWO! **_Chapters Left! And I just want to say thanks to all you people who

have been reviewing—you are all great and make me feel confident that my ideas aren't completely crazy. So

thanks!

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **Man, I'm beat. Today was a long day. I hope I got everyone—there were a lot of you. I should have served refreshments.

**Let's See Here:**

**Godgirl4ever****: **Thank you for your praise and the hug. :)

**soccernin19****: **Wow, that means a lot to me. Thank you!

**Person**: I know. Tis sad. :( But try to be - :)

**byjfan****: **I appreciate that! Sometimes I can't believe that people are liking this. (I was so sure it was a far-fetched idea. Love that you people prove me wrong.)

**1rx4u: **Thanks, really thanks. You people have to stop being so nice or my head will get big.

**LordOfTheBooks****: **Thank you a lot. Yes, never fear all sorts of odd/strange/ and if can even believe it good stories are on their way sometime.

**White Bishop**: Thank you for your paragraph review. I myself am not usually capable of writing that much of review after the midnight hours so I am honored that

you sleep deprived yourself on my account. (I have been there before. For some reason, you just can't stop reading and BAM it's past midnight . . . or in some

cases two a.m.) But anyway, your points are valid. I'm kind of an odd writer, so this is hard to describe—I would say that I don't always think of everything that I

could have, but I will never go back and try to "add" stuff in. When I start writing, everything is already worked on in my head, and anytime I "fiddle" after I have it

worked out, it just messes things up and I scrap what I have changed. At this point, I am rambling so I will move on . . . to answer your questions honestly, 1. No.

2. No 3. I don't go into too much detail on that—which only proves your point. Extra point to you. Seriously, thanks.

**3 Nightwing 3: **Ah, yes. There you are. Sorry to have scared you. Hopefully, what I have in the last chapter should satisfy you somewhat. Thanks!

**MissDarcy: **Thanks for stopping by! I'm still trying to write a sequel to my first really long story so anything continuing with this will probably be off in the way, way

distant future. (It's not like I don't want to, but I just can't force a story.) I'm just not that good of a writer.

**jdcocoagirl****: **Thank you for picking up on that! By the end of this, I really did want her to completely trust him.

**SkyMyst: **You might want to hold off saying that until you actually _read _some of the stories that are coming up. To be honest, some of them are really good. (I

think) and some are just . . . . odd and potentially cheesy. But I like the enthusiasm!

**3 Nightwing 3: **We meet again. I will never kill anyone. I have no plans and probably not the heart to kill anyone. (In both the literary and real world sense, just so

we are clear. ;) ) I don't know if this is my favorite thing I have written. I really like my "Right from the Start" if that's what it is called. (it's been awhile) and there is

one silly one shot I really like. No idea which one at the moment. I have a Dick/Bruce one-shot planned although it isn't written yet. We'll see what I do from there. I

still think my "mysteries" are bad, but for some reason I keep trying. Thanks for the support!

**Amanda: **. . . let me think about that. That is usually why I try hard not to put ages on them when I write. I usually say "however old you think they are is fine with

me" or I won't even state an age.

**Saphire122****: **The wait is over!

**Disclaimer: **Despite rumors you may have heard, I do not own Batman.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Wrapping things up

* * *

"Where's Barb?

At the sound of her father's voice Barbara snapped awake. She looked around, but didn't see him. Rubbing her eyes, she wrote it off as a dream and snuggled

herself back against Dick's chest where she had fallen asleep. She felt Dick readjust his chin on top of her head.

They had both moved back to the wooden bench off down the hall.

"Barb?" The voice called again loudly.

Barbara's head snapped up so quickly that it collided with Dick's chin.

"Owww!" He said abruptly coming awake.

"I'm so sorry!" Barbara said quickly turning around to apologize.

"That's fine." He said waving her to go on. "I'll find some other way to eat." He said massaging his chin.

Rolling her eyes, Barbara returned and gave him a long kiss hoping that it made up for the accident.

The smile he gave told her that it was.

She ran from the room.

"Dad? DAD?" She called out as she flung the door open.

"Barbara!"

In a moment, she was engulfed in her father's arm.

"Are you okay?" She asked hurriedly. "I was so afraid that you . . ."

"I'm fine, Barb. I can't wait to tell you . . . something about your grandmother."

Barbara raised an eyebrow.

"Grandma?" She asked questioningly. Her father gave her a look and she knew to stop talking. She felt someone's eyes on her. She turned around and saw Dick

who was still massaging his jaw.

"Hurt your jaw?" Her father asked him.

Dick managed a grin.

"I'll let you know after the surgery."

"It was not that bad." Barbara said rolling her eyes at him. She turned back to her father.

"So are you okay? Really?" She asked him again.

"What on earth happened?" She heard Dick chime in.

"I'm fine Barb, really." Gordon said giving his daughter another hug.

"I should probably go." Dick said motioning towards the door.

"Not . . ." Her father began to say as a knock came to his office door. An officer stuck his head in the door.

"Commissioner? The mayor would like to see you."

"I'll be right back, Barb. Richard, you stick around okay?" He said before leaving the room.

* * *

Dick gave a nod as the Commissioner left his office. He looked over at Barbara who was once again looking composed.

She walked over to the window and looked out. Dick walked over and looked out over her shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her.

"How lucky I am. Some people's stories don't end as well." She said solemnly.

Dick paused to think that over.

He hoped that she was willing to get used to the situations that would occur since her father was commissioner, but he was confident that both her and her father

would be ready and willing to handle anything—as were Batman and Robin.

The office door opened again, and in came the Commissioner.

"So how was your kid's night?"

"Uh, incomplete." Dick said after giving Barbara a glance.

"Dad, so what happened?" Barbara asked her father.

"There will be time for that later, Barb." Her father said waving her off.

"So what did you think?" Gordon asked him. "Of the play." He clarified.

"Oh, ah, I think I would like it. I didn't get to see the ending, but I think I could handle seeing it again."

"Yea, I think you could." Barbara said giving him a look.

"You never know, I could pass out from boredom." Dick told her with a grin.

"You would not." Barbara said firmly.

"You know, she kind of gets bossy when she thinks that she's right." Dick told the Commissioner.

"Already knew that." Gordon said with a smile at his daughter.

Barbara put her hands on her hips.

"It's not my fault you can't stay conscious for more than two hours straight." She shot back at him.

"It's not my fault that everything you want to see takes place in low lighting. The deck is stacked against me."

"You always have to be the victim don't you?" Barbara said exasperatedly.

"Well, you seem to enjoy yelling at me." Dick pointed out.

* * *

Gordon stood there in amusement watching them bicker. Not that it was really bickering in an actual sense. Barbara loved to be right and Richard seemed to enjoy

giving her a reason to prove it.

Instead of their personalities grinding against each other, they had learned to move in sync.

And to his delight, he realized that his daughter was happy. Honestly, really happy.

Maybe he hadn't done a horrible thing in bringing her here.

"Okay, okay, you two break it up." Gordon said shaking his head.

Both the young people stopped talking at his command.

"After all the excitement of tonight, sitting down in a dim room for a few hours sound like a nice idea." He told them both.

Gordon watched his daughter's face light up at the prospect.

"We should go sometime soon dad."

"We all should. Besides, Richard has never seen the ending yet."

Barbara looked a bit startled at this.

"Dad you can't just volunteer his time like that." She objected.

"I don't care." Richard said with a shrug. "If I don't plan things, Alfred will just plan them for me."

"Then it's settled." Gordon said with a smile as another knock came to the office door.

"Ah, sir? The mayor again, sorry." The officer said with a grimace.

"Be right there." Gordon said waving the man off. "I thought at this early hour he would just go home."

"Speaking of which." Richard broke in. "I really should be going."

Gordon gave a nod. He supposed he should let the boy go.

"I'll see you later then." He said offering Richard his hand. Richard took his hand immediately.

"I will be right back Barb." Gordon said with a wink.

* * *

Dick yawned and stretched his arms above his head.

"Well, I'm beat Babs." He told her with another yawn.

Barbara smiled back at him and rubbed her eyes.

Dick rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't remember what he had hit it on during the fight, but it still stung.

"Sure." Barbara said obligingly. "Thanks for everything Dick. You were great."

Dick took in the moment of her smiling at him.

"_Were?" _He asked egging her on.

"All right, _are,_ but that is all you get mister." She warned him.

"You have such a cute nose." He said as he tapped it with his finger.

She pushed his hand away.

"Don't flirt with me." She said, although he could tell that she really didn't mind.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." He said amused and quickly turning to leave.

He felt her hand on his arm. He turned around and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Leaning over, he gently covered her mouth with his.

"Better?" He asked her while looking into her eyes.

She nodded.

"I'm pretty sure I could do that every single day." He told her softly. He watched Barbara fight a smile.

"Don't plan on it." She said coldly.

Dick gave her a smile. He knew that she was kidding. Funny how easily they saw through each other now without that wall there.

He turned the corner, and decided to take the stairs to the street level.

He was really proud of her and more than happy that everything had worked out. Thinking back to her words, he realized how right she was. She was very lucky

that everything had worked out. He just hoped that he and Batman could always make sure of that.

* * *

"So what about Grandma?" Barbara asked her father as soon as he came back. "And what happened down there?"

"You know what?" Her father said taking a moment to look at her. "I don't think that I've ever seen you smile in that way."

Barbara shifted uncomfortably under her father's gaze. She tried not to blush.

"Anyway . . . there is nothing to say about your grandmother. I just didn't realize that Dick was still with you that's all." He said with a shrug.

"So?!" Barbara asked begging him to tell her what had happened.

"Well, if you want the facts right off the bat. One of Gotham's largest gangs is off the streets including a mole from within the police station."

Barbara eyes widened.

"Baxby?" She guessed, while feeling sorry for her father.

Gordon shook his head gravely.

"Hard to say it, but yes."

"So Batman was right." Barbara said softly, sitting down across from her father who had taken his seat behind his desk.

Gordon nodded.

"I'm sorry if I worried you Barb. I didn't know that my operation would be quite that big or successful." He told her looking concerned.

Barbara took in a deep breath. She _had _been really worried, but that is what she and her mother had become used to. She had learned to deal with it. Dick's

presence had helped immensely.

"So you intentionally left?" She asked him. The thought was a little . . . scary.

"I planned my own sting, if you will. It went a little better than expected. I tried to give the criminals down by the docks the perfect chance to try something and

they did. As soon as I had disappeared for long enough, Baxby felt that something had really happened to me and that gave him the chance to move."

"And you caught him." Barbara said proudly.

"Well, _we_ caught him." Her father said giving her a secret look.

Even though there were in an enclosed office, Barbara felt the need to whisper.

"Batman and Robin?" She asked.

Gordon nodded.

"Took them long enough to show up." He said with a grin. "But once they did, everything seemed to fall into place. I wish that you could have seen them! It was

amazing! I have no idea how they do that. It was amazing!" Her father said in awe.

"I hoped that they would find you." Barbara said reaching across the desk to clasp her father's hand.

"That they did. Batman was mad at me for not telling him what was going on."

Barbara smiled at the idea.

"And then it all happened. I wasn't much help. I would probably just trip one of them or something."

"So you are really working together." Barbara said in amazement. Her father was working with the Batman.

"Well, I asked Batman jokingly, I don't think that he picked up on that part," Her father added. "Whether or not he was on my side then, and he said, 'I was here

first' and then he left."

"What?" Barbara said aghast.

"So I guess that I'm on _his _side." Her father said in amusement. "Needless to say, there is going to be a huge amount of paper work." Gordon stopped to rub his

forehead. "And the mayor told me that I had an exceptional daughter who stayed completely level-headed and perhaps gave one of the best unprepared speeches

that he has heard in a long time. What's that about?" He asked her.

Barbara smiled fondly at her father.

"I was just sitting around doing nothing, and an opportunity came where someone needed to say something to get everyone going, so I just walked in and opened

my mouth." She said with a shrug.

Her father smiled.

"See? That's who my girl is. Not rude, not horrible." He said. "But strong and caring."

"Not all the time." Barbara said thinking back to the incident with Dick.

"But you mean well, and your heart is in the right place. And when you are wrong you have the courage to admit it and take what comes."

Barbara was warmed by his praise and hoped that she would always strive to be that person.

"Come on Dad, you need some rest."

"I think we both do." Her father insisted as he got up.

"So you and Richard really had a nice time then?" He asked her as he pressed the elevator button.

She nodded.

"We did." She said agreeably.

"Good." Her father said with a grin. "I had a suspicion that you did." He added.

Barbara eyed her father. What did he mean by that?

He noticed the looked that she gave him

"Oh." He shrugged. "Just a rumor." He said as soon as the door dinged open.

Barbara felt her face burn.

* * *

"Master Dick?"

Dick looked up with surprise as he saw the elderly butler coming down the stairs towards him as soon as he closed the front door.

"Are you still up Alfred? I thought you would have gone to bed by now." He said with a surprised tone.

"Well, I might have dozed off a bit there." The Englishman admitted. "But I awakened at the sound of your return. Master Bruce is still down in the cave if you wish

to see him. How are you after the night? Is your jaw okay?"

Dick stopped rubbing his jaw.

"Yea I just . . . collided with something." He said with a smile to himself. The pain was worth it though. For that short hour, having Barbara against him was amazing.

He could still smell the sent from her shampoo.

"Good thought?"

Dick's head snapped back to Alfred who at the moment was giving him a knowing smile.

"What? Oh, yea. It was good."

Alfred smiled.

"And this whole thing involving the Commissioner. He was so brave to go out on his own and trust that both of you would show up."

"I hope you told Bruce that." Dick told him.

"As usual, my opinion was politely ignored." Alfred said, sharing a smile.

"Same old, same old." Dick said with a yawn. "Well, I guess I will head down there and see if he wants to lecture me about anything."

Alfred smiled at the lightheartedly said comment.

"Go to bed Alfred, I'll see you in the morning." Dick said with a wave.

Alfred, showing the signs of sleepiness, gave a nod of farewell and headed back up the stairs.

* * *

Dick sauntered down to the cave and found Bruce perfectly awake.

"I appreciate it if you let me know when you are leaving."

Dick rolled his eyes.

"I'll try to remember that." He said dryly as he looked over Bruce's shoulder to look at the large screen.

"I would not have picked Gordon to be that reckless." Bruce said shortly.

Dick stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You are just peeved that he didn't tell you. Admit it, he scared both of us. It's not his fault."

"I call it reckless." Bruce answered not admitting anything.

Dick walked around in a circle.

A lot had happened this night . . . and well, this morning. Too much. His head was starting to shut down.

"Did she hit you?"

Bruce's question snapped Dick out of his sleepy stance and caused him to stop rubbing his jaw.

"Why is that your first assumption?" Dick asked staring hard at him.

"It's the one I like best." Bruce said, almost giving the impression that he would smile.

"Ha." Dick responded.

Bruce would like that option.

"You're just jealous that you didn't think of his plan first." Dick said, not willing to let Bruce drop the topic.

"I doubt I would have. I'm not reckless."

To Dick, this was a debatable point, but he was too tired at the moment to push it.

"We can't drop our guard either." Bruce continued. "We can't assume that it was just Baxby on the inside. We need to stay alert for anyone else. Gordon has to

realize that as well. He has shaken things up and it might be just as dangerous for him now as any other time. People will start to realize that he means what he

says, and they will act accordingly to get rid of him."

The danger was just starting? That was a scary thought. It wasn't like he didn't know it was a dangerous job, but sometimes it was hard thing to wrap your head

around. And at this point, Dick's head could not take too much more.

"So I'm going to bed, unless you need anything." Dick announced, feeling proud that he was already obeying Bruce's instructions.

Bruce gave a vague nod that Dick interpreted as an "okay".

Dick walked over and started climbing up the stairs, but then paused and leaned over the rail.

"It's going to be quite different actually—having a commissioner that we can trust. Who knows what we might be able to accomplish now."

"That's awfully optimistic." Bruce said pausing to glance back up at him.

"Sometimes, I'm an awfully optimistic kind of guy. It beats the alternative."

Bruce had no comment.

"Goodnight." Bruce finally said.

"Technically, it's morning." Dick couldn't help but saying.

"Go." Bruce ordered.

Dick was more than willing to comply.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Barbara asked her father. She was still concerned that he needed to eat something.

"I'm fine, really Barb I just need some sleep." He told her while trying to hanging up his jacket.

Barbara took it from his hands and shooed him to his room.

"I'll hang it up, just go to bed. I'll even put your shoes away."

"Just make sure to put them in the closet. I hate it when shoes are left out." He managed to joke.

Barbara nodded as she watched her father head to his room.

Giving a sigh, she leaned her back against the front door.

Everyone had come home safety tonight and she could not be more grateful. To be honest, when she called the station and was told everything, she did not foresee

it turning out this well.

"Barbara?"

He head snapped up.

"Coming Dad." She called out as she walked down the hall. "Do you need something?" She asked sticking her head in his room.

She found him standing by the window still dressed in his day clothes.

"Do you think that you can be happy here?" He asked her without turning around.

"I _am _happy here." She told him firmly not quite knowing where this conversation was heading.

"I'm realizing that I don't think that there will ever be a status quo in this town. Everything is always going to be borderline crazy. Every day is going to be different

and I doubt that there will be much down time. Everything here is done on a larger scale and we have to be ready for that."

"I know." Barbara told him simply. "But I think that we can handle it. You, me . . . Batman, and Robin."

Her father turned around with a smile.

"Yea, well, I guess that we will see."

Barbara returned his smile. They were ready. She knew that they were.

* * *

**Random End Notes: **ONE . . . Uno . . . Ichi chapter left. Do you hear me? (It's actually quite sad.) Thanks for all the reviews people. You blow me away sometimes.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **When this story began all these months ago, I set out to write a completely different Dick/Babs story than I had ever written. I wanted it to not be

your standard story with all the usual plot lines that we all know (and love) by heart. I knew that this story would be thought a little odd by people, not that I blame

them. But I think that overall we've had fun. We laughed, we cried, we got confused, and sometimes I was certain that no one would actually like this—to my

surprise, some did. I thank you.

**Let's See Here:**

**Godgirl4ever****: **Thank you.

**jdcocoagirl****: **I'm glad that it was. Thanks a lot for reading.

**LordOfTheBooks**: Blown away that you would think that. Very touched that you do. I've got more stories on the way sometime here, so sit tight. Thanks a bunch!

**White Bishop: **I'm just surprised that you managed that much that early in the morning! Well, I seriously doubt that any "masterpieces" are on their way any time

soon, I appreciate that you think I am capable of it. When I think about it, there definitely tons of areas where I could have expanded, but I really was trying to

keep things as interlocked (plot wise) as possible. As always when I get to the end of a story, there are things I wished I would have done, not done, done better

etc. but overall I'm happy with what I did. I thank you for all of your time and your advice.

**soccernin19****: **Indeed all good things must come to an end, but hopefully it will give us room to start new things. :)

**3 Nightwing 3**: That really means so much to me! Thanks. I never know how much people are keeping track of those "minor details" that I revisit. I hope that they

catch them, but I never know, so I'm glad that you did. I'm **SO** happy that I was able to help you to the Dick/Babs side! :) Pull up a chair my friend! There is really

something just so amazing about the both of them. I love that you love this that much! Very Awesome! Thanks a ton!

**Guest: **I never will, and I will tell you why. I will never be a better writer if I don't force myself to look harder for mistakes. Usually, it's silly things that I could catch

if I thought about it more. Sometimes, it takes me awhile to notice. Either way, as the writer, I take it upon myself to catch my own mistakes and if some slip

through, that just shows I need to work harder at it.

**Disclaimer: **If after all this I still need to point this out, you haven't been reading this part very well.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: If Every Day Could be like This . . .

"Barb, hon, does this look right to you?"

Barbara looked up and over at Kelly and took the piece of paper out of her friend's hand. She started flipping through the pages when her phone rang.

Digging in her book bag, she pulled out her phone and stared at the screen.

Giving a sigh with a smile, she answered.

"Yes?"

"Pick a number between one and ten."

Barbara rolled her eyes and Kelly stopped what she was doing to watch her.

"I don't have time for games Dick, Kelly and I are studying." She said seriously, although she knew that there was no point in even saying it.

"Oh, come on." He said cheerfully. "It won't take too long and I'm sure that you need a break."

Barbara weighed her options of encouraging him.

"Well . . ?" She heard his teasing voice say.

"Fine. Seven." She said, regretting that she was playing along.

"Nope."

"Okay, then what is it?" She asked. "Dick? Hello Dick?" She repeated into her phone.

Looking down at it, she saw that he had hung up.

"He is so weird." She told Kelly, who just looked amused.

Turning her attention back to Kelly's paper, her vision was suddenly blocked.

"Dick!" She snapped wrenching his hands away.

"What?" He asked innocently with his blue eyes shining.

She tried not to let him see her smile. He was incorrigible when he knew that he was getting to her.

"Would you please leave us alone?" She asked. "We are trying to study and you keep being a distraction."

Dick gave a shrug.

"It's not my fault I'm good looking."

Barbara gritted her teeth as she heard Kelly give a snort of laughter that threatened to spill over.

"That's not what I mean." Barbara said giving him a glare that informed him that he was pushing it.

"Well I'm just going to pretend that that _is _what you meant." He said as his grin grew.

Pulling out a seat from their table, he sat down.

"This table is for people who _study_." Barbara said informed him firmly.

"Maybe Dick should join our study club." Kelly input.

"No." Barbara said coldly. She did not need this.

Dick glanced between her and Kelly.

"I don't think that your president would let me." He told Kelly.

"Oh, come on Barb." Kelly said with a shoulder jab.

Barbara crossed her arms. They were not going to budge her.

"If you do, you have to study. I mean literally." She said staring straight at him.

He blinked.

"You know what Kelly? I appreciate the invite, but I'm not really a 'club' kind of person." He said nonchalantly.

Barbara rolled her eyes as she reached for her coffee cup.

"Empty?" Dick asked her as she peered through the drinking hole.

"I guess so." She told him. She didn't realize that she had been drinking that much.

"I'll grab you another." Dick offered standing up.

"Well at least you would be doing something useful." Barbara said eyeing him.

Dick gave a wink and a nod and pushed his chair in before heading to cafeteria counter.

Barbara pulled up her bag and grabbed a few crumpled bills off the bottom of her bag.

"Dick!" She called out.

He turned around as she tossed the bills towards him. He swatted them back to her. In mid-air, she passed them back, just to have him hit them back again.

"This is not a hacky sack competition." She hissed.

"Ohh, we should organize one of those!" He said as he continued walking.

Barbara shook her head as she picked her bills off the floor.

"I am going to regret this aren't I?" She told Kelly as she sat back down.

"No, you aren't." Kelly told her with a thoughtful look.

Barbara leaned back in her chair.

True. She wasn't. But she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Besides, he is as cute as a button." Kelly said spinning her pen around in her hand.

Barbara cocked an eyebrow.

"You make it sound like he's seven." Barbara said with a smile. "Which isn't too far from the truth sometimes."

"What are you saying about me?" Dick asked as he came back to their table and placed a new cup of coffee in front of Barbara.

"Nothing that you don't already know." She said tossing the dollars at him before he could say another word.

Catching them in his hands, he gave her a smile and clapped both of his hands around the bills. He gave her a grin that immediately let her know that he was up to

something. He blew on his hands and opened them up to reveal—nothing.

"No magic." She told him firmly.

"Where did they go?" Kelly asked interestedly.

"I'm sure that they will appear somewhere." Dick promised her.

"It better not be on me." Barbara told him while trying to be serious.

"It might be too late for that." He said eyeing her.

Barbara shoved her hands into her pockets and felt around. She didn't find them, but the look on Dick's face told her that he had already found a way to sneak the

bills back to her.

"And why is it so cold in here?" She asked. "Are we not paying them enough to at least heat this place?" Barbara said as she rubbed her hands together.

Sensing movement behind her, she turned her head in time to watch Dick place his jacket over her shoulders.

"Just don't steal it like you stole my gloves, okay?" He said with a wink.

Barbara scoffed.

"What's this?" Kelly asked looking amused at both of them.

"Nothing." Barbara dismissed. "And I did not steal them; you lent them to me."

"And she didn't even have the decency to give them back to me in person." He told Kelly sounding horrified.

Barbara shook her head as she shut her notebook. She was going to get nothing done today.

* * *

Dick caught up with Barbara as she walked towards the bus stop.

"Babs! Babs!" He called out as he hurried towards her. She seemed to have gone off in her own little world.

He watched her as she walked around the courtyard. He couldn't believe that everything was working out between them. He had been worried that she might never

forgive him. That she might never realize that he didn't believe what he had said.

By the time he reached her, she still had not noticed him.

"Dreaming about me?" He asked her teasingly while giving her shoulders a shake.

"Hmm?" She asked him as she processed his words. "You wish." She said giving him a smile.

Man, he loved that smile.

He let his arms sink around her shoulders. Barbara leaned against him.

"Good day?" He asked her.

She nodded.

"It's actually been quite interesting."

"Yea?" He said with interest.

"I've been told by three different people today that they appreciate the work that my father did."

Dick smiled as he saw a proud look cross her face.

"That's great." He told her. "I'm sure that everyone else will come around, but there will always be those stubborn ones. You know the ones with the fat mouths that

will basically say anything to anyone without thinking first."

Barbara eyed him carefully.

"Isn't it funny how you can joke about that now?" She asked him.

"I can pretty much joke about anything." He informed her honestly.

Barbara shook her head at him.

"And you are sure that I can't drive you home?" He asked her again before letting her out of his arms.

"No, it's fine." She told him. "I like taking the bus. It lets me get a feel for what's going on in the city."

Dick raised an eyebrow.

"And you would rather spend that time with the world than with me?" He asked her, while giving her a sad look. She wasn't buying it. "Besides it gives me

twenty-one extra minutes away from home." He informed her.

Barbara gave him a look that he couldn't read.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Is what?" Dick asked a bit confused.

"Being home." She stated.

Dick quirked a smile.

"Not really." He said with a sigh. "But it's the second Wednesday of the month and I really, really don't feel like being trapped inside an office for several more

hours."

"Oh, well." Barbara said unsympathetically. "You'll just have to go and do you best."

"That's the problem. I don't get to do anything!" Dick exclaimed.

"Do you ask if there's something that you can do?" Barbara asked knowingly.

Dick slumped.

"No." He said defeated.

"There you go then." Barbara said with a nod. "I wish that I could help you to figure out . . . well whatever your problem is. I mean, whenever my dad and I . . ."

"Whoa, slow down there Babs." He said stopping her. "Don't think for a second that any solution is going to be that simple. Bruce and I could not be further on this

planet then the way that you and your dad are."

Barbara stopped walking to consider this.

"There has to be someway though." She told him.

Dick sighed. She had no idea. How could she?

"Trust me Babs. Don't waste your time on it."

Barbara nodded, but he could tell that she wasn't going to drop it. He could already see the wheels turning.

They walked along the short pavement path down to the bus stop.

"Well, assuming that I live through this day, I'll try to call you later." He told her.

Barbara gave him a funny look.

"Yea?" She asked.

Dick cringed.

He was supposed to call her last night, but well, Robin was needed and Dick didn't make it home until it was way too late to call her.

"Yea, sorry about that." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "I just lost track of time."

Barbara shook her head reproachfully.

"You're all over the place; you need a planner."

"I have Alfred."

Barbara rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind you occasionally doing something on your own." She said dryly.

Dick laughed as he looked up into the clear blue sky.

"Yea, probably not." He admitted.

Barbara gave a small smile as she stopped to look up at the sky as well.

"Well, if you insist on taking the bus, just promise me that you aren't going to try and stop an armed robbery or buy a watermelon, or anything silly like that."

"Watermelons aren't in season anymore." She informed him. "But I will always make sure that I have you with me when I buy one."

Dick stopped walking.

"Wow, that's . . . sweet. I guess." He said hesitantly.

"In the summer, we can go to the farmer's market and buy all kinds of things like berries, mushrooms . . . "

As she went on, Dick had to smile. She was an odd one alright.

"It will be so much fun. I think that I read somewhere that the market starts at seven which is a pretty good time . . ."

"I'm sorry, what time did you say? Is that in the morning?"

"Yes, the morning." Barbara said emphatically. "I'm sure that you can manage it."

Dick shrugged.

"Why does everyone want to start things so early?" He moaned.

He watched as she tried not to grin while she reached into her coat pocket.

"Dick!" She said exasperatedly.

"What did I do?" He asked her meeting her hard blue eyes.

Pulling her hand out of her pocket, she pulled out her crumpled dollar bills.

"What?" He said with a shrug.

She lunged at him and he effortlessly dodged her.

"You are taking these!" She ordered.

Dick shook his head with a mischievous smile.

Barbara immediately took a huge step towards him as he instantly took a large step back.

"You are . . ." Barbara insisted advancing towards him.

Dick had to laugh as she tried to snag his jacket. Turning around he dodged her again, but as he did he felt himself trip over her foot.

His face met with the grass. He could her Barbara's laughing in the background.

"That is cheating." He told her as he tried to get the grass taste out of his mouth. A grin lit up her face.

"Nu uh." She told him.

Dick slowly stood back up and brushed himself off.

"See? You can be goofy. All that studying just goes to your head." He said knowing that it would irk her.

She didn't respond but picked her book bag off the ground where she had left it.

"You are going to make me miss the bus." She told him trying to sound annoyed.

"That would be terrible." Dick said pretending to be concerned.

Barbara licked her lips and turned away from him.

"You know what I hate about you?" She asked him turning back around.

"What's that?" He asked her now a little concerned.

"I hate how you can always make me smile."

"And I hate . . ." He said pulling her close to him. "Hmm, I really can't think of anything." He said flashing her a smile.

Barbara rolled her eyes with a grin that crinkled her nose.

"See? That's what I mean."

"Oh, well." He said sing-songly. "I guess you are just going to have to put up with it."

"I suppose it won't be too hard." Barbara admitted before giving him a kiss.

Dick slid a hand behind her head to keep her there and used his other hand to place the dollar bills that she had put into his pocket, back into her own.

"You and your dad have any plans for the rest of the day?" He asked her when she pulled back.

"Maybe." Barbara said cryptically.

"What does that mean? What are you two doing?" Dick asked. "You guys are always doing something."

He watched a smile cross her face.

"Oh." She said nonchalantly. "Just saving the world."

"What? And you didn't invite me?" Dick asked with a private smile. A look crossed Barbara's face.

"What does that look mean?" He demanded to know.

"Nothing." Barbara said as she turned away.

Dick looked at her.

He wished in a small way that they could all actually work together. But Bruce would never ever allow it. Who knows, maybe sometime Robin could bump into her.

"Hey, you should come over sometime." He said breaking the silence. "Alfred keeps hoping that you will stop by."

"Really?" Barbara inquired. "Anyone else hoping that too?"

"Maybe." Dick said slyly. "You should though. I'm getting tired of hearing him weep about it every night."

"Well, I'll try then. I would hate to think of making Alfred sad." Barbara said keeping up the charade.

Dick gave a nod.

Barbara pulled her hand away from his.

"I'll talk to you later then."

He stopped walking as he watched her walk the rest of the way to the bust stop.

If only everyday could be like this . . .

* * *

"I don't mean to be . . . I don't even know a word for this, but I am supposed to be concerned about a person who alias is 'Two-Face'? Gordon looked up from the

file to stare over at Batman. "And he literally has two faces? How did that happen?"

If Batman was fazed he didn't show it.

"Major criminals in Gotham like to take on their own personality. Trust me, there are plenty more like him. I'm actually surprise none of the major players have

made a move yet. I suspect that they are observing you for the moment."

"I don't like the sound of that." Gordon said as he looked around the roof. The thought of it made him uneasy. He shuffled through the files in his hands.

The Joker's was the biggest. Taking down that guy was not going to be fun. Gordon gave huff.

"You'll get used to it."

Gordon turned to look over at Robin who was sitting on the edge of the roof letting his feet hang off.

"You think so?"

Robin nodded.

"I hope that you're right kid." Gordon said as he shut the file.

"This is not a job for the feint hearted." Batman broke in saying.

"Then it's good that I like a challenge." He said firmly. Reaching down, he picked up the cardboard box that held all the files. "I guess I will start with these and see

what I can come up with, while you two see what you can find out."

Batman gave a short nod and started walking away.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Gordon asked Robin.

"Not really." Robin said.

"Guess I will have to get used to that too." Gordon said with as much of a chuckle as he could.

Robin gave a silent nod.

"Oh, and I've been meaning to ask. We really do need to work out some sort of system. We need a quicker way of getting a hold of each other. I was thinking like a

. . ." Gordon trailed off.

Batman was already gone.

"Like what?" Robin asked.

"Well." Gordon shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. But I was thinking of a light of some kind." He said rubbing his chin.

Robin was silent.

"A light?"

"Just something small maybe. A blinking light or a . . ."

"Batlight." Robin broke in.

"Batlight?" Gordon questioned. "That makes me think of a light in the shape of a bat."

"Okay, a bit obvious maybe." Robin said with a shrug.

"You know, sometime you two are going to be out in the open and not so much a rumor." Gordon told him thoughtfully.

"I think he was waiting for someone like you to come along. Someone who could back us up." Robin told him.

"Well, I'll do my best." Gordon said firmly.

"We will too." Robin promised.

And then with a nod, Robin gracefully jumped off into the night.

Gordon rested his arms on the ledge. There was going to be a lot to get used to.

* * *

"You better not be getting butter and popcorn salt in my hair."

Barbara shifted slightly so as to look Dick in the eye. She was leaning propped up with her back against his chest. He was in the process of twirling the ends of her

hair.

"It's not my fault that you are keeping me waiting." He said with a soft smile.

"I told you that I still needed to read a chapter before I could come over." She reminded him.

"You didn't tell me that a chapter is like eighty million pages!" He objected.

Barbara shook her head at his number count.

"And if you keep eating all the popcorn we will have none to actually eat while the movie is playing." She said as she pointed to the half-eaten bowl.

"I thought you were a fast reader." He said raising an eyebrow.

"I am a fast reader." Barbara said. "When I'm not constantly being interrupted."

Dick gave a look of being offended and tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth.

"So if you can be quiet, maybe I can finish up." Barbara said as she turned another page.

Dick whimpered and she felt his shoulder's slump.

"You are such a brat when you don't get your way." She commented.

Alfred wandered into the room with a smile on his face.

"He can be such a brat Alfred." She told him. "I don't know why you keep him around."

"Hey, we have discussed this before. Warranty is now up and there are no refunds." Dick said firmly.

"And there you have it. There is no getting rid of him." Alfred said solemnly.

"Exchange?" Barbara asked him.

"We can always hope." Alfred said with a wink at her.

"Everyone can see that I'm sitting right here, right?" Dick said sitting up straighter.

Barbara and Alfred shared a grin as Alfred walked out.

"Hmp." Dick said crossing his arms.

"Cheer up. I'm almost done." Barbara said deciding that she was done teasing him. "Just try to be quiet and don't distract me."

Dick heaved a sigh.

She leaned back against him and she felt him resume twisting the ends of her hair.

"Are you done yet?"

"No."

"Yet?"

"No."

"Y . . ."

"No! Now stop asking. For the next five minutes you are not going to do anything that is distracting!" She yelled at him.

Dick seemed to settle down although he kept playing with her hair. Barbara tried to focus back on her book.

After a few moments, she felt Dick start to nuzzle the back of her hair with his nose.

"Dick . . ." She said trying to scold him, although it was hard because it felt nice. "Dick, you can stop now." She said trying to reach behind and swat at him.

She hit the cushion instead.

"Behave." She ordered, fighting a laugh. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Can't help it." He whispered into her ear.

"Try to." She told him as she gathered her hair up and pulled it across one shoulder.

The thought crossed her mind that she could finish reading the chapter later, but she quickly shooed it away. She was not going to shake her resolve and nothing

that he could do would . . ."

The feeling of his lips against her neck caused her mind to freeze.

"DICK!" She exclaimed swatting at him. This time she connected with his shoulder.

"Hey, careful." He said with his eyes shining as he met her now hard blue ones.

"You are so . . . infuriating!" She charged.

"Now you don't mean that." Dick said innocently.

Barbara tightened her jaw and glared at him.

"And I hate you."

"Now you really don't mean that." Dick said starting to laugh.

Barbara let her resolve crumble.

"Okay, okay! Fine. I'll study later when I am _alone_."

Dick gave a look of triumph and leaned over grabbing the remote.

Barbara picked up the bowl of semi-eaten popcorn and placed it next to them on the couch.

"And out of any movie on the planet." Dick began. "You chose _The Hound of the Baskervilles._"

"It's a classic!" She insisted.

"You aren't going to quote lines or anything are you?" He said teasingly.

"I haven't seen this one _that _much." Barbara insisted. "It's just good old fashioned detective work from the world's greatest detective."

This seemed to give Dick pause.

"I am going to spare your dad the shock of hearing that you said that."

Barbara threw a piece of popcorn at him.

"Okay," She amended. "The world's greatest fictional detective."

"That's more like it." Dick said stiffly. "Now are you ready?" He asked her before hitting play.

She nodded right as the doorbell rang.

"Who's that?" She asked.

Dick shrugged.

"Probably Bruce." He said with his eyes on the screen.

* * *

Dick noticed a look come over Barbara's face.

"Hey did you ask him about the play?" She said with excitement.

Dick cringed.

Somehow along the way of discussing about going back to see the play, the Gordons had gotten the idea that Bruce should come too. Dick had dodged the question

and had tried to inform Barbara that such a thing was not going to be possible.

She seemed not to understand why this was and was confused about why Bruce wouldn't go even if Dick asked him to.

"Listen Babs . . ."

"Have you even tried?" She said.

"No, but there is no point. You only pick the battles that you can win right? This is a lost cause."

"And you really don't think that he wouldn't come? Even to spend time with you?"

Dick sighed.

"Babs, we've been over this. We don't really do stuff 'together'."

"Then there is your problem." She said as if she had made a scientific breakthrough.

They heard Alfred open the front door and the sound of footsteps in the hall.

Barbara suddenly handed him the popcorn bowl.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Dick said frantically as Barbara stood up.

"I am going to ask him for you."

"No, Babs, really I don't think . . ." He went silent as she walked out the door. This was not going to help. She was just going to have to realize that everything was

not that simple.

* * *

As Barbara came back in the room, she smiled at the look on Dick's face. It was a cross between worried and curious.

"I have no idea what you are always going on about." She said plopping down next to him.

His mouth fell open.

"You don't mean that . . ."

Barbara nodded.

"He said that he would be glad to and was glad that I mentioned it now or else it would have been too late."

Dick looked completely floored.

"Why is this so hard for you?" She asked him. Honestly, is was like he wasn't even willing to try. Mr. Wayne was completely nice about it and didn't seemed fazed in

the least.

Dick stared into the screen.

* * *

What was Bruce up to? There was a million ways that he could have gotten out of it—two million at least. But instead he chose to go. Why? Bruce didn't even care

about plays or anything.

Maybe he just really wants to go out with the Gordons. Like friends or something. Dick pause mid-thought.

No way. That would be way too normal.

Or maybe it was just Barbara. How she asked or something.

He turned to look over at her and found her staring back at him.

"What?" She asked looking around.

"So . . ." Dick said carefully. "How about asking Bruce to get me a pony?"

He watched with joy as she rolled her eyes and her nose crinkled with a grin.

"One impossible thing at a time." She said.

Dick smiled back at her with a nod.

That was the truth.

Although, a lot of impossible things had already happened.

She had forgiven him, Bruce was willing to work with Gordon, Gordon was willing to work with them . . .

There were a lot of impossible things that needed to be accomplish, but he knew that they were going to be the ones to do it.

"Hey Dick?" Barbara asked him catching him off guard. "Are you going to share that popcorn?"

"Yea, sure." He said handing her the bowl. She shot him a smile and turned back to the television.

The impossible had better be careful, they were about to meet their match in a police commissioner with a mustache and his daughter who . . . well, he was pretty

sure could do anything she set her mind to.

* * *

Barbara settled back against the couch and took another look at Dick.

"What are you grinning about?" Dick asked her.

"Just how everything worked out." She said.

She felt Dick kiss the top of her head.

"I'm happy how everything worked out too." He murmured.

Barbara had to agree.

This whole thing was more than she or father had expected, but she knew that they both were up for the challenge. This was more than just a fresh start—this was

the start of a whole new life.

* * *

**Random End Notes:** Seriously people, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all the encouragement, support, advice etc. It means a lot to me. I bid you all adieu

and hope to see you again sometime.

{Dick/Babs because, HELLO! They are perfect for each other!}

Alright you know the drill. Advice, and (gentle) [be nice please! :}] criticism, would be appreciated. Or a haiku if you feel like one.


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